Australia national cricket team’s legendary batsman Matthew Hayden has backed Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star batsman Virat Kohli to rewrite the history books with his performances in the rest of the Indian Premier League 2024 (IPL 2024).
Ahead of IPL 2024, there were question marks over Virat Kohli’s performance in T20 cricket and many also raised doubts over his selection in India’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad. The batting superstar played tremendous cricket throughout the league stage and once again shut up her critics with her stupendous performances.
He is currently ranked No. 1 in the Indian Premier League’s Orange Cap 2024 list with 708 runs in 14 league phase matches at an average of 64.36. Kohli had made his runs at a good strike rate of 155.60 and hit 37 sixes, his best score being 113*.
Virat Kohli’s consistent performances have played a key role in RCB’s incredible turnaround in the Indian Premier League 2024 as the Faf du Plessis-led team lost 7 of their first 8 matches but bounced back strongly to win 6 games in a row. finish within the top 4.
Could far surpass his IPL 2016 performance in the kind of form he’s in: Matthew Hayden on Virat Kohli
Watching Virat Kohli dominating with the bat in IPL 2024, Matthew Hayden, who recently criticized the batsman for hijacking the field and engaging in heated talks with the umpires, backed the former RCB captain to improve his performance in 2016 and unlock a new milestone in the IPL.
Notably, Virat Kohli still holds the record for most runs in an IPL season by a batsman as he scored 973 runs in 16 matches in IPL 2016 at an average of 81.08 and a strike rate of 152.03. with 4 hundreds and 7 fifties. Many felt that Shubman Gill would beat his record from last year, but the GT captain fell short by a huge margin as he finished with 890 runs.
Meanwhile, with Virat Kohli just 266 runs behind his 2016 tally, Matthew Hayden believes the former RCB captain is very committed and can break his own record quite easily.
“We are seeing Virat Kohli celebrating his second best season yet. He could far surpass his performance in IPL 2016 in the kind of form he is in. So, more than anything, I think it is the energy and love of the game, the passion, the commitment to everything, all those words that describe this great man, whether on the field or with the bat in his hand. He just loves it, it’s crazy,” Hayden told Star. Sports.
Matthew Hayden also highlighted the celebration of Virat Kohli’s silence after Ajinkya Rahane’s dismissal during the RCB vs CSK virtual knockout match. He said Kohli does all this because he is very committed to the game.
“The point is that he is very committed. And he gives it to the crowd too. There were a couple of moments when he told CSK fans to shut up,” Hayden added.
Virat Kohli can play a maximum of three more matches in the Indian Premier League 2024, provided RCB reaches the final. Royal Challengers Bengaluru must first beat Rajasthan Royals in the playoffs on May 22 in Ahmedabad if they wish to advance further in the tournament.
