The conversation around Virat Kohli has taken an interesting turn in the ongoing edition of the IPL. For years, fans and experts admired his consistency, but they also questioned his strike rate in T20 cricket.
Now, as Kohli continues to dominate for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, former cricketer and commentator Sanjay Manjrekar believes something has clearly shifted, not in technique, but in intent.
Kohli adapts to modern T20 demands after outside noise: Sanjay Manjrekar
Manjrekar did not hold back while sharing his views. He made it clear that Kohli has not reinvented his game technically. Instead, he has made a conscious decision to speed things up. And according to him, that decision did not come out of nowhere.
“This is, again, going to rile up Virat Kohli fans. We have seen Virat Kohli bat differently, bat superbly this season – at a strike rate of 140-150. This is the same Virat Kohli; there is nothing that has changed. It is only that he has decided that he is going to bat quicker. And why has he decided that? Because he could see the pressure building and people talking about him batting a little too slowly,” he said via Sportstar.
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That statement sums up the situation perfectly. Kohli is not a different batter, he is simply reacting to the modern demands of T20 cricket. Over the last few seasons, the game has evolved rapidly. Batters are now expected to go hard from ball one. Anchoring an innings, once seen as a strength, is now often viewed as a limitation unless it comes with a high strike rate.
Kohli seems to have understood that shift better than most. Instead of sticking stubbornly to his old template, he has adapted. This season, he is not just accumulating runs — he is scoring them quickly. His strike rate of over 160 speaks volumes. It is the highest he has recorded since his IPL debut back in 2008, and it shows a clear intent to stay relevant in a fast-changing format.
Manjrekar also pointed out how things were different a few years ago. Back then, Kohli played a more cautious brand of cricket, often focusing on building a long innings.
“This 150 strike rate was 125-130 three to four years back. It was only because Virat Kohli would hit a boundary and then pick up a one or a two. After all, he wanted to extend his innings and play longer because he felt he had to be the man to bat for most of the innings and didn’t trust the batters down the order,” the cricketer-turned-commentator added.
That insight reveals something deeper about Kohli’s mindset. Earlier, he carried the burden of responsibility almost single-handedly. He believed that if he stayed till the end, his team had a better chance of winning.
RCB now looks more balanced. There is more firepower in the middle order, and that has given Kohli the freedom to express himself. He no longer feels the need to hold back. Instead, he attacks, knowing that there are capable players who can carry the innings forward if he gets out.
The numbers back this transformation. He mustered 351 runs in eight innings at an average of 58.50, and three half-centuries. Currently, he is among the top performers this season. More importantly, he is doing it at a strike rate of 162.50, a figure that directly answers his critics.
This shift is not just about statistics. It is about evolution. Great players do not survive by staying the same, they adapt. Kohli has done exactly that. He has listened to the noise, processed it, and responded in the best possible way through performance.
