BENGALURU: In March 2008, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) cashed in on Delhi Daredevils’ lack of interest in signing Virat Kohli for the opening Indian Premier League. Seventeen seasons on, it’s still Delhi’s loss and Bengaluru’s gain. Perhaps, Delhi could be forgiven for the oversight.
Teenager Kohli was explosive batting prowess, but all raw emotion. That hasn’t changed as the IPL enters its 18th edition this weekend. However, in the intervening period, the now 36-year-old has gone from unabashed teen to cricket great.
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Kohli has led the Indian teams across formats and RCB for several seasons. He is only the third player after Sachin Tendulkar and Jasprit Bumrah (both Mumbai Indians) to play for a single franchise. He insists RCB will be his only IPL team.
Age and experience have failed to dim Kohli’s hunger. His appetite for excellence and success has not wavered. Kohli, at a RCB summit recently, said his emotions have sobered while his competitive spirit still bubbles.
“Things are happening naturally with me; it’s getting tapered down. My competitiveness has not waned. A lot of people find it very difficult to process how competitiveness remains at the same level if the aggression does not. You can still be aggressive in your mind, but you don’t need to express it every now and then out of frustration, which I have,” he strove to explain.
And while the batting star has nothing left to prove, one aspect would rankle: The lack of an IPL trophy in his chest of spoils. RCB have made it to the final thrice, yet the trophy has eluded them.
This year, Kohli will play under captain Rajat Patidar. At a time when he was expected to lead himself, Kohli has thrown his weight behind Patidar. AB de Villiers, RCB’s lynchpin with Kohli till not long ago, believes Kohli’s leadership, sans the captaincy title, is crucial for this season.
“All Virat needs to do is what he’s been doing for years: Control the game,” he told JioHotstar. “He should be the ‘captain of the batting department’ title this season.”
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