IPL trophy-less stint too prominent to ignore in Virat’s 11 years of Royal Challengers Bangalore leadership
Virat Kohli. Pic/PTI
Virat Kohli is not the one to take a step back while dealing with opponents, umpires or officials. He wears his heart on his sleeve and never hesitates to hide emotions.
Despite being one of the best batsmen of his generation and a fighter to the core, there have been questions over his captaincy in limited-overs cricket, especially at the World Cup and in the IPL. Under him, India have failed to win an ICC Trophy, and he has not been able to deliver the trophy despite leading Royal Challengers Bangalore for 11 years in the IPL.
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After Kohli announced his intention to give up T20 captaincy, this IPL season was his chance to redeem his image as a leader in shortest version. The way RCB were going along in the league phase in the UAE, one thought he may go out on a high. But it was not to be in Sharjah on Monday, sadly bringing the curtains down on a sordid chapter in his career.
Now, with the IPL out of the way, his next focus would be on delivering India the T20 World Cup before he hands over the reins to the next man.
There have been clear signs that the burden of leadership has affected his batting of late and many believe that once he is freed from white-ball captaincy, his batting may touch great heights once again.
Also Read: Virat Kohli is a leader, team will celebrate his contributions: Harshal Patel
Kohli’s best season for RCB both as a skipper and a batsman came in 2016, when the team emerged runners-up and, during that season, he scored more than 900 runs with four centuries.
Overall, under his captaincy, RCB played a total of 140 games, winning 64 and losing 69, while four ended in no-results. Three games were tied. Kohli, with a winning percentage of under 50, justified his RCB stint as leader for over a decade, stating that his aim was to try and build a winning culture and encourage youngsters to express themselves freely.
RCB’s restructuring is a few months away. His immediate focus would be on the upcoming T20 World Cup in the UAE. Here, he would be hoping for better luck and ending his T20 captaincy of a high, in the form of a World Cup in Dubai on November 14.
Till then, the huge army of Kohli aficionados would be waiting with bated breath.
Captain Kohli’s RCB factfile
Matches 140
Won 64
Loss 69
Tied 3
No result 4
Best finish: 2016 season (runners-up)
Tweet talk
Virat Kohli@imVkohli:
Not the result we wanted but I am so proud of the character shown by the boys throughout the tournament. A disappointing end but we can hold our heads high. Thank you to all the fans, management & the support staff for your constant support
Also Read: Narine makes it look very easy, he bowled outstandingly well: Eoin Morgan
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