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Former New Zealand pacer and current commentator Simon Doull has revealed that he has been receiving death threats for criticizing India and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter Virat Kohli's batting strike rate during the initial phase of IPL 2024. Doull is one of several former players who had criticized Kohli for his slow batting approach, which many believed was hindering RCB's chances of winning their maiden IPL title.
Kohli, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest batters of his generation, had expressed his displeasure over the criticism, saying that he does not appreciate people telling him how to play the game. Despite Kohli's strong words, he ended the season as the highest run-getter, scoring 741 runs in 15 matches at an average of 154.7.
During a discussion on Cricbuzz after the IPL 2024 final, Kohli's RCB teammate Dinesh Karthik suggested that the star batter thrives in such situations, as he likes to prove his critics wrong. Karthik said that Kohli 'holds on to certain things to do well' and that he 'loves proving people wrong.'
Doull, who was also part of the discussion, emphasized that nobody really cares when he praises Kohli, but a minor criticism of the star batter often leads to him getting death threats from so-called fans. 'I said a thousand great things about Virat Kohli, but I say one thing that might be slightly negative or construed to be negative, I get death threats,' Doull pointed out.
Doull further clarified that he has nothing personal against Kohli and that he often speaks to him before or after games. 'It's never personal. We've had great conversations. I've interviewed him at tosses, we've talked after games, there's never been an issue,' he said.
Karthik condemned the death threats against Doull, urging the Indian fans to find the difference between constructive criticism and someone taking personal jibes. 'That's pretty sad to hear though...You go to basketball, football games and you see pundits speak about the game. I think the Indian fans should really find out the difference between people taking it personally or people talking about his cricketing side. Virat really appreciates that,' Karthik asserted.