Virat Kohli was not Virat Kohli: Aakash Chopra analyses RCB star's ordinary run in IPL 2022

Virat Kohli had a dreadful run in IPL 2022 edition. The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)'s former skipper was expected to go bonkers with the bat in the 15th season after having relinquished captaincy duty for the franchise, in last year, but the 33-year-old fell flat and was nowhere close to his own high standards.

Kohli returned with 341 runs in 16 games, at an average of22.73 and a below-par strike rate of 115.98. The right-hander scored two half-centuries, against eventual winners Hardik Pandya-led Gujarat Titans (GT), but wasn't anywhere near his best in majority of the outings. Even his 53-ball 58 in RCB's first face-off versus GT wasn't very impressive.

Analysing Kohli's season for RCB, former Indian opener-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra said, "The main points were that the top three batters just failed to perform. If you see Virat Kohli's year, Virat Kohli was not Virat Kohli. 16 matches, 341 runs at a strike rate of 115. You might have said it is fine even with 341 runs if the strike rate had been around 140."

Add WION as a Preferred Source

"Only two half-centuries, that too against just one side. Other than that, he hasn't scored any runs. He reached 48 once and scored an unbeaten 40-odd in the first match but very ordinary season by his standards and by any standards," he said in a video posted onYouTube.

ALSO READ |IPL 2022 roundup: From MS Dhoni's confirmation to Gujarat Titans' historic triumph

Further, Chopra shifted focus on Glenn Maxwell and skipper Faf du Plessis and said, "Glenn Maxwell, on whom you placed a huge bet, 301 runs in 13 matches, it is slightly underperforming but the strike rate is very high, more than 160. He picked up wickets in bowling as well, takes catches as well. But one thing is that if Virat Kohli is not having a gun season, Maxi needs to have an extremely gun season, which didn't happen."

"Faf du Plessis - 468 runs in 16 matches. He has the runs, 468 runs are great but this is a team without a single 500-plus score. You might say Gujarat also do not have that but there were three players above 400 there and their main thing was the bowling," added the cricketer-turned-pundit.

RCB finished the league stage at the fourth spot and won the Eliminator, beating Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), before bowing out after defeat to eventual runners-up Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Qualifier 2.