IPL 2025: Virat Kohli’s brother hits back strongly at Sanjay Manjrekar over strike-rate remark

New Delhi: Vikas Kohli, brother of Virat Kohli, criticized Sanjay Manjrekar on social media. This follows Manjrekar’s controversial comments about Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Virat Kohli during IPL 2025. Manjrekar downplayed the Virat Kohli-Jasprit Bumrah rivalry and questioned Kohli’s current form, notably omitting him from a recent top-ten IPL batter list despite Kohli’s current leading run-scoring position.

Vikas criticized former cricketer Sanjay Manjrekar on Threads, highlighting Manjrekar’s ODI strike rate of 64.31 and questioning his authority to comment on strike rates exceeding 200.

Virat Kohli emphasized the crucial role of strong batting partnerships in T20 cricket, particularly on pitches unsuitable for aggressive, early hitting.

IPL pitches have been slow, hindering aggressive batting from the outset. Despite this, players such as Kohli and Rahul have performed well under these difficult conditions.

Virat Kohli’s sixth fifty in his last ten Indian Premier League matches contributed to Royal Challengers Bangalore’s continued undefeated streak in away games, following their Sunday match against Delhi Capitals.

“It was a top win, especially looking at the surface. We saw a few games here and this wicket played out differently compared to those. Whenever there’s a chase on, I keep checking with the dugout, whether we’re on course,” Kohli, who played a second-fiddle to Krunal Pandya, said after the win.

Kohli described his batting approach as adaptable, adjusting his technique to suit the prevailing playing conditions.

“(What) the total (is) on the board. What the conditions are like. Who are the bowlers that are due to bowl. Who are the bowlers that are going to be hard to get away,” Kohli explained when asked how he plans the chase.

“I try and make sure my singles and doubles don’t stop so that the game doesn’t get stagnant. People are forgetting the importance of partnerships and that’s coming to the fore in this tournament to try and dominate the bowlers through partnerships and professionalism.” Krunal, who struggled initially to get going, eventually hit his first fifty in IPL in nine years.

“Krunal was outstanding, he can make an impact and it was just about time. We’ve communicated beautifully, Krunal kept telling me to stay while he took his chances,” said Kohli.

Following Virat Kohli’s departure, Tim David quickly scored 19 runs from only five deliveries, securing victory for his team.

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