The former India women’s team skipper Mithali Raj has spoken regarding the significance of the strike rate in T20 cricket. Also, she has addressed the new Impact Player rule implemented by the BCCI in the IPL 2023 season. Mithali has played 89 T20Is for India, scoring 2364 runs at an average of 37.52. Notably, she is the only Indian women’s cricketer to have a T20I average of more than 30.

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She was talking about Virat Kohli’s IPL 2023 strike rate. While addressing the same, she told that the RCB Kohli prefers both boundaries and runs between the wickets. She also claimed that Kohli has an effortless hitting ability with the ball even though the bowler is very quick. She also praised Kohli’s strike rate against pacers in the ongoing edition of the IPL.

“Virat banks a lot more on fours and running between the wickets than power-hitting. The way he has been starting in the powerplay in this IPL is great. The faster the bowler bowls, the easier it seems for him to dispatch the ball to the boundary. The strike rate that he has against the pacers is amazing,” Mithali said in an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times.

If the pitch is difficult and you are losing wickets then you can’t just depend on strike rate: Mithali

“Both are important… in a way, it has become a topic of discussion because of the advancement of T20 cricket but one can’t be putting too much emphasis on one aspect while ignoring the other. There has to be that balance. If you are having a good run then you are expected to score runs and also maintain a good strike rate. Form is even more valuable in this format because there is no time. It moves very fast and you don’t get the opportunity to create your own rhythm. It also depends on where you bat. If you are an opener, then have to go hard in the powerplay. It’s the best way to use the field restrictions and get as many runs as possible. But say the pitch is difficult and you are losing wickets then you can’t just depend on strike rate. You bat according to the situation, according to what the demands of your team are. The strike rate is very important in this format but is not the whole and sole of it.” She added.

While talking about the impact player rule in IPL 2023, Mithali said; “Yes, to a certain extent, it does reduce the role of an all-rounder. If your Impact Player is a batter then at times we’ve seen in this IPL that the batting line-up goes down to No.9. You are not out of the game in a chase even if you are 7 or 8 down. It has its pros and cons and it all depends on how wisely the team uses it.”