Former India batter Ajay Jadeja said it is unfair to expect Virat Kohli to bat at the strike rate of someone like Andre Russell, highlighting that the RCB stalwart has his own style to solve problems.

Kohli is leading the race for Orange Cap with 443 runs, but his strike rate of 138.87 is the lowest among the top 10 batters in the IPL 2025.

Kohli played a key role in RCB’s six-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Arun Jaitely Stadium on Sunday (April 27).

Chasing 163 to win, the Bengaluru-based franchise felt the heat after being reduced to 26/3. However, Kohli bailed them out of trouble with a 119-run stand for the fourth wicket with Krunal Pandya.

While Kohli fell after scoring 51 off 47 balls, Krunal remained unbeaten on 73 off 47 balls to take the visitors over the line with nine deliveries to spare.

Kohli did not put a foot wrong as he anchored the chase brilliantly. Only 16 of his runs came through boundaries as he recorded the slowest half-century of the IPL 2025 season in 45 deliveries.

"If he (a critic) thinks Kohli can suddenly play like Andre Russell, then the person is asking for the sake of asking. If you really look at the 18-year career of the man, then every sportsman, even the greatest, has their own ceiling, their own style, their own strengths. His strength is consistency. His strength is winning games. His strength is understanding the game and solving that same jigsaw puzzle in his own way," Jadeja said, as quoted by India Today.

"He certainly does not have that strike rate, he is never going to have the strike rate of someone like Russell - and if he tried to, he would not have the consistency he has," he added.

Jadeja praised RCB for focusing on Kohli's strengths while forming their squad for IPL 2025, emphasizing the success they have had this season.

"So I look at it that way. As I said, the management was foolish when they tried to make a team thinking that his strike rate should go up. When you have something solid, you build around it," he said.

Jadeja further stated it is natural for people to scrutinize the greats of the game, and that the greats know how to deal with it.

"You know, nobody asks you and me questions on the street. But everybody asks questions to the US President or the Prime Minister, because they are the people who make decisions - they are the benchmarks. So, I don't know how he looks at it (Virat Kohli). Till the last day, I remember Sachin Tendulkar and even the icons of the game were asked similar questions. If you are a sportsman, in your mind also you get questions every day," Jadeja said.

"We are looking at his record today, saying, okay, so many runs - but there's always a question. Whether it was him or Viv Richards in the past, or whoever, the top players are used to it. I think the players who are dealing with it are probably equipped and capable of handling it.

"It also gives people - statisticians, people working in broadcasting - something to talk about. And you know, the odd ones have to come up with something. They have to question the biggest man because, among human traits, there is always that tendency - we like to question someone who is above and beyond us. Why? But if you have not been convinced by his style of play or his consistency over the 17-18 years that he has played for India and RCB, and you still expect something else, then the person asking the question is at fault," he remarked.