This question has arisen because of what KL Rahul has been saying multiple times whenever asked about his strike rate that strike rate is overrated in T20S. It would be interesting to discuss whether KL Rahul is right or not. In Test Cricket there is absolutely zero importance of strike rate because whether the batter scores 100 runs in 60 balls or whether the batter scores 100 runs in 170 balls on a tough pitch the impact is the same because test cricket is for 5 days and the team that plays Better cricket on those 5 days wins the match.
And in ODI Cricket as well the strike rate is important but it is not the ultimate thing as the average of a batter is more important because it is a 50 over match and the batter who bats the longest will do most well and if a batter bats for a period of time will score at a strike rate of more than 100. And ODI Cricket has to be faster if it has to survive. However let’s talk below whether Strike Rate is overrated in T20Is
No, Strike Rate is not overrated in T20S
KL Rahul is wrong when he says that Strike Rate is overrated in T20S. He is wrong because T20 cricket is all about the strike rate and the faster the better scores in a T20 match the better it will be for the team. Suppose if a batter plays 50 balls and only makes 50 runs so he will have a strike rate of just 100 and this will mean he will have used 50 out of the 120 balls of a T20 innings to make just 50 runs and this will put the pressure on the other batters to score quickly for the other 70 balls and thus the team total will be far less. And the chances of the team where the batter scored 50 runs in 50 balls are not looking good.
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However if another batter scores 70 runs in 45 balls then it will mean that he scores at a strike rate of 200 in which he will only play for 35 balls and the batter will make 70 runs therefore the impact of the innings will be far greater and the rest of the players will have 85 balls to make a lot of runs and this will mean the total runs of the team will be far more. So, Having a strike rate of 200 will Benefit a team far more when the strike rate is just 100. KL is accused of Scoring at a low strike rate and the result is that he makes a lot of runs throughout the tournament but those runs are not useful for the team.
Suppose a batter has an overall average of 50 but a strike rate of 120 and a batter who has an average of 30 but a strike rate of 150 plus , the team will be more confident in the batter who has a strike rate of 150 plus because he will be able to score more runs and at a far better pace. For example Andre Russell has a strike rate of over 180 but an average in the 20s but all the other teams are fearful of him . AB De Villiers, Jos Buttler, Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle, Shikhar Dhawan, Rohit Sharma are the rare examples of batters in T20S who have an average of over 40 and a Strike Rate of over 140 and they are the most successful batters.
