Ian Bishop apologized to a fan for praising Virat Kohli. RCB suffered a third consecutive defeat, losing by six wickets to RR.
Ian Bishop, a former West Indies pacer, sparked outrage with his on-air comments about Virat Kohli during the IPL 2024 match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Saturday, April 6. Notably, Kohli was chastised for his relatively slow strike rate, despite scoring a ton. The 35-year-old scored three figures in 67 balls and went unbeaten on 113 from 72 balls, with a strike rate of 156.94.
Bishop, who was commentating, congratulated the former RCB captain on scoring 50 runs off 39 balls. However, his praise was met with criticism from fans on social media, who pointed out that scoring a half-century in 39 balls in a T20 competition, particularly on a batting-friendly wicket, was regarded as below par.
A fan wrote on X,” @irbishi said just 39 deliveries. After virat completed his 50 someone needs to tell him ipl is a 20 over tournament not 50 I know they are paying you to praise big players but still call what it is 39 ball 50 on a batting track is a joke.”
Meanwhile, Ian Bishop apologized his error and expressed gratitude for the feedback. “Believe me, I am well aware of what batting in this format entails.” I made an error in my wording. That is on me. I am not the devil, not yet?? But I appreciate your feedback. He replied, “It’s appreciated.”
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Jos Buttler’s ton powers RR to fourth consecutive win in IPL 2024
In the match between Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Sanju Samson won the toss and invited the visitors to bat first. Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis got their team off to a strong start, putting on 125 runs for the first wicket. The RCB captain dismiss for 44 runs, while Kohli went on to lead the charge and score a fine century, allowing them to set a difficult 184-run target.
RR got a flying start in the chase, despite losing Yashasvi Jaiswal in the opening over. Jos Buttler and Samson led the onslaught, scoring 148 runs for the second wicket. Mohammed Siraj removed the RR captain after a breathtaking 69 runs off 42 balls. Meanwhile, Buttler hit a maximum, scoring a spectacular ton and allowing RR to win their fourth consecutive game.
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