Simon Doull, a former fast bowler for New Zealand who is now a commentator, disclosed that he received death threats after criticizing Virat Kohli’s performances in the recently finished IPL 2024 season. However, he insisted that he never took it personally and that he had a friendly connection with the RCB superstar Virat Kohli.
Doull lamented that most people overlook him when he speaks well of Virat Kohli, emphasizing that he has already experienced criticism for challenging the star batsman’s methodology, particularly in Twenty20 cricket. A few people, including Simon Doull, chastised Virat Kohli for his poor strike-rate during the first half of the 2024 Indian Premier League.
In an RCB versus LSG match, Doull questioned Virat Kohli’s strike-rate, implying that the former captain had played for personal milestones when it took him ten balls to go from 42 to 50.
Simon Doull On Criticising Virat Kohli
“He’s too good to worry about what if he gets out. He’s too good a player, and that was always my point around him. 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,” Simon Doull said during a chat with Dinesh Karthik on Cricbuzz.
Karthik denounced the supporters’ response and urged Indian cricket fans to distinguish between respectful criticism and crude statements.
“That’s sad actually in India though. Because you go to basketball, you go to baseball, there are pundits who speak about the game. Somewhere, the Indian people, the fans should found out the difference between people talking personally and people who talk about the technical side of it. I think Virat appreciates it if you can find a difference,” Karthik said.
Same With Babar Azam
Simon Doull hasn’t held back when he criticizes elite athletes. The former cricket player from New Zealand has already experienced criticism for doubting Babar Azam’s motivations in Twenty20 cricket. Nonetheless, Doull stated that he gets along well with both Babar and Virat Kohli and that it has never been difficult for him to speak with the two players while doing broadcast work.
“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. It’s the same thing I said about Babar and talked to him after the game. He also told me that the coach had said that same to him,” he added.
The T20 World Cup in the United States and the West Indies is where fans can next watch Virat Kohli in action. In 15 IPL 2024 matches, the RCB player who scored 741 runs won the Orange Cap. Paperwork problems caused Kohli’s trip to the USA to be delayed, and it is unclear if he will be fit for India’s first T20 World Cup warm-up match on June 1 against Bangladesh.
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