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Former Australian captain Aaron Finch on Wednesday slammed critics for questioned India batter Virat Kohli's place in Men in Blue's T20I set-up, calling the chatter around his spot "the biggest rubbish he has ever heard.".
As the ICC T20 World Cup set to take place on June 1 in the West Indies/USA draws closer and the fever of the Indian Premier League (IPL) gets stronger, the conversations around Virat's approach in T20 cricket have produced mixed debates. While many fans/experts have expressed support for Virat because of his stature, impressive T20I resume and experience, some of them have questioned if his style, which leans slightly towards a more conservative territory, is fit for modern, hard-hitting T20 cricket in which batters often launch big sixes from ball one. Speaking on ESPN's programme, Finch said, "I cannot understand that whenever an ICC event, irrespective of the format, is coming, every time people talk about Virat Kohli and whether he is under pressure for his spot. This is the biggest piece of rubbish I have ever heard. He is the greatest white ball player I have ever seen." "It does not matter if he strikes at 140 and other guys strike at 160, when you pick up a team, you pick up a guy who gets the job done day in and day out for his team during big games. It is ludicrous that we keep having this conversation," he added. During his side's previous IPL game against Punjab Kings (PBKS), Virat shut down critics with a majestic 77 in 49 balls, with 11 fours and two sixes. Scoring at a strike rate of over 157, Virat was going hard from ball one, smashing Sam Curran for four boundaries in the first over itself during a run chase of 177. Another notable highlight of his knock was him taking on bowlers really well during middle overs and even choosing the aerial route. After his match-winning knock, Virat acknowledged that amid all the chatter around his spot, his name is largely being used to promote the shortest format of the game in the USA ahead of T20 World Cup through advertisements, and he has "still got it" in T20 cricket. He also talked about though he tries to go hard from the beginning, the fall of wickets makes him play as per situation. "I know my name is often used to just promote the T20 game across the world when it comes to T20 cricket these days but still got it I guess," said Virat during the post-match presentation. "In T20, I am opening, and I try to give the team a blazing start. But when wickets start falling, you have to understand the conditions as well. The wicket wasn't as placid as normal here. It was a bit two-paced. I had to play the correct cricket shots, could not hit balls across the line. I tried a few, felt like I needed big hits at the other end, which did not happen as Maxi (Glenn Maxwell) and Anuj Rawat) got out quickly," he added. Virat is the highest run-getter in T20I cricket. In 117 matches, he has scored 4,037 runs at an average of 51.75 and a strike rate of over 138, with a century and 37 fifties in 109 innings. His best score is 122*. He is also the highest run-scorer in IPL history. In 239 matches and 231 innings, he has scored 7,361 runs at an average of 37.36, with seven centuries and 51 fifties. His runs have come at a strike rate of 130.16. Also, Virat is the most decorated batter in the history of the ICC T20 World Cup and is its leading run-scorer. In 27 T20 World Cup matches, Virat has made 1,141 runs at an average of 81.50 and a strike rate of 131.30, with 14 half-centuries in 25 innings. His best score is 89*. He was also the 'Player of the Tournament' in 2014 (319 runs in six matches at an average of 106.33 with four fifties) and 2016 (273 runs in five matches at an average of 136.5 with three fifties) editions, in which India finished as runners-up and semifinalists, respectively. He ended as the leading run-scorer in 2014. During the successful run chases in nine innings of the tournament, Virat averages 518, as he has only been dismissed once. Out of these nine innings, seven have been fifties. In the 2022 edition in Australia, Virat ended as the leading run-getter, with 296 runs in six matches at an average of 98.66 and a strike rate of 136.40, with four fifties. His knock of 82* against Pakistan in a tough run-chase of 160 runs at Melbourne is also considered as one of the best T20I knocks ever played. (ANI)
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