Last Updated: April 12, 2023, 1:30 PM IST
Simon Doull lashes out at Virat Kohli
Former Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt rallied behind Kohli. The ex-Pakistan skipper termed Doull’s comments as “utter rubbish”
Former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull took the internet by storm with his remarks on Virat Kohli during an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants on Monday. Doull, who was present in the commentary team, slammed Kohli for taking 10 balls to compete for his fifty after reaching 42. The former said that there was no place for personal milestones in the game anymore.
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While Doull was not impressed with Kohli’s style of batting, the star Indian batter now seems to have received a voice of support from Pakistan. Former Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt rallied behind Kohli. The ex-Pakistan skipper termed Doull’s comments as “utter rubbish.”
“When he was in Pakistan, he used similar words for Babar Azam. If he had watched the game consciously, he would have noticed that Kohli tried to hit Bishnoi three-four times, but he missed. That is part of the game. He has 75 centuries in international cricket. He does not have to prove anything to anyone. It is utter rubbish. He (Doull) has played cricket, but he was a bowler,” Salman Butt was heard saying on his YouTube channel.
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Virat Kohli managed to bring up his half-century against Lucknow Super Giants but he also drew ire from many due to his slow strike rate. The Royal Challengers Bangalore batter was unbeaten on 42 off 25 balls at the end of the powerplay. However, Kohli then took 10 more balls to reach 50. The former Indian skipper’s wait-and-watch approach did not quite go down well with Simon Doull.
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Virat Kohli was, eventually, dismissed for 61 against Lucknow Super Giants. Kohli has so far notched up two half-centuries after featuring in three matches in this season’s IPL. India spinner Amit Mishra picked up the vital wicket of Kohli. Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Faf du Plessis played a sublime knock of unbeaten 79 to guide his side to a solid total of 212. The high-scoring affair went down the wire as the KL Rahul-led side scored the winning runs on the very final delivery of the thrilling contest.
The heart-breaking one-wicket defeat at the hands of Lucknow Super Giants left Royal Challengers Bangalore at the seventh spot on the IPL points table. In their next match, the Faf du Plessis-led side will be up against Delhi Capitals on Saturday.
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