More articles by

Prathima Nandakumar
Prathima Nandakumar

Cricket

Kohli moved by loyalty of 'Bengaluru fans'

rcb-kohli (File photo) Virat Kohli

“It has probably been our worst season in IPL in 10 years,” said skipper Virat Kohli on the dismal performance of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

“The kind of season we had needs no explanation. It is there for everyone to see how it has gone. It certainly hurts us the most as players. We tried everything to turn things around for us, but it just hasn't happened.

Exuding optimism, Kohli said in sports these things (defeats) happen and one has to accept and move forward. “It makes us more excited for more challenges in the coming years and what we can achieve as a franchise and as a team in the coming years of IPL. Last year was great for us. This year has been a total opposite. We have been on both sides of this wonderful game that we play and we are gonna keep trying and try to come back more stronger next year,” Kohli, who was part of the Bengaluru launch of Tissot—the official watch of RCB this IPL season, said.

Earlier too, a disappointed Kohli had taken to Twitter to thank RCB fans and apologise for the poor show after the humiliating defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders on Sunday, when the team ended its home games this season.

Despite the defeats, Kohli's motivation hasn't dampened as he is looking forward to the upcoming Champions Trophy and he feels nothing has changed in terms of his preparation.

“It is pretty easy. I mean, if you have played the sport for long, you have to accept that these kind of days will come. It is important to have a set routine in your life where you can follow a path not necessarily relying on the result you get on the field. And then things becomes a bit easier to cope. I keep myself motivated to go out there and do my best every evening that I play or the team plays. It does not happen every time and you have to accept it. Preparation for Champions Trophy is no different. It has become more of a habit now.”

Kohli has no second thoughts about being part of RCB even after being in the team for a decade and the reason is loyal Bengaluru fans.

“Fans make Bengaluru special to me. We have been playing here for long. But the kind of support we have had this year was amazing to see. We still had a packed stadium, knowing well that we can't have the play-offs. They (fans) felt it was an opportunity to come back and watch us play and it's been really pleasing for us as cricketers,” he said, referring to the jam-packed Chinnaswamy Stadium on May 7 when the team was out of play-offs and playing only for pride.

The second best thing about the IT city, is its wide choice of hangouts, said the skipper, adding that the drive from the airport amid the notorious traffic is what he dreads the most. “Bengaluru is a lovely city with so many places to hang out. We can have a good time even when we have a big break. That is a perfect thing any cricket team can think of when you want to unwind. People show so much love and care in this city.”

Even as RCB prepares for its last game this IPL season against Delhi Daredevils at Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium next Sunday, Kohli felt that boosting the morale of the team after a tough game is not easy.

“It is not easy to pick yourself up after the kind of results that we have had. But then, you have to draw the line, ask players to motivate themselves, push the game forward in whatever way you can. It is difficult but that's the way players, who you believe are good enough to play at this level, step up and take charge. There is nothing extra you can do as things are not going right for everyone. It is not one or two players that you have to manage.”

Appreciative of his team members' conduct through a tough phase, Kohli said the hallmark of his team this season has been the bonding as a unit. “The team has been doing well. We ensured there was patience and calmness around the changing room. Issues fly around, but guys have understood that everyone's gone through the same feeling and have tried to help each other out rather than pushing things around on individuals. It is very easy to get frustrated and point fingers. But we have accepted what has happened and have tried to laugh it off in situations where we felt so helpless. We have come back to the changing room laughing as we experienced it as a team. It is not one or two but the whole team feeling the same way, it is very rare.”

“We are looking at it as a positive opportunity to start afresh, think of things that we need to do to move forward as a team,” he signed off.

This browser settings will not support to add bookmarks programmatically. Please press Ctrl+D or change settings to bookmark this page.

Related Reading