The strike rate is very important in T20 but it is not the whole and sole of it: Mithali Raj

Former India women's team skipper Mithali Raj spoke about the significance of the strike rate in T20 cricket. She also addressed the new Impact Player rule implemented by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in the Indian Premier League (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.

While talking about Virat Kohli's IPL 2023 strike rate, the former India captain stated that the RCB batter prefers boundaries and runs between the wickets. She claimed that when a bowler bowled quickly, Kohli was able to effortlessly hit the ball to the boundary. 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

When asked about the significance of strike rate and average in T20s, Mithali stated that both are significant in their own way. According to the 40-year-old, if a player has a successful run, they are expected to score runs while also maintaining a good strike rate. She went on to say that if the surface is tricky and a team is losing wickets, a batter cannot rely just on strike rate since they would bat accordingly. She also stated that though the strike rate is crucial in this format, it is not the only factor to consider. 

"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. If you are having a good run then you are expected to score runs and also maintain a good strike rate. 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 not it is not the whole and sole of it," Mithali added.

She subsequently addressed the Impact Player rule in the IPL 2023, claiming that it has lowered the significance of the all-rounder to a certain extent. She stated that if a team's Impact Player is a batter, the batting order is sometimes reduced to No. 9 and even if you are 7 or 8 down in a chase, a batter is not out of the game.