Courtesy: Google
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) legendary batter Virat Kohli looked decent with his bat against Mumbai Indians (MI) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 and brought joy to the faces of his team's supporters. In RCB’s win against MI at the Wankhede Stadium after 10 years, he chipped in with a 67-run knock off 42 deliveries. Kohli’s role is crucial for RCB’s campaign as he has been part of the side for more than 18 years. The 36-year-old is often attacked by his critics for batting with ego in games and keeping himself ahead of his other teammates. However, countering the claims, the veteran said it’s never about ego and cited the instance when he put his teammate ahead of him. The star player also added it’s never about overshadowing anyone but to work for the welfare of the team.
Ahead of Bengaluru's contest against Delhi Capitals (DC) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 11, Kohli spoke on JioHotstar and remarked, "If you look at how things panned out even recently, in one of the Champions Trophy games, Shreyas (Iyer) took charge. It was never about ego. At that time, if I was in rhythm, in the flow of the game, I naturally took the initiative. If someone else was better placed to take the lead, they would do it. It was never about trying to overshadow anyone or suddenly feeling like I don't have the ability. It's always been about understanding the game situation, and that's something I've always taken pride in. I want to play according to what the situation demands."
Virat Kohli recalled his old days in RCB during IPL 2025
During the conversation, Virat Kohli also reminisced about his old IPL days when he used to play for the Challengers alongside legends such as Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis. The right-handed batter said his game wasn’t upto the required level but he kept his head down and worked diligently to make it huge.
"In my first three years with Royal Challengers Bengaluru, I didn't get many opportunities to bat in the top order. I was usually sent in lower down. So, I wasn't really able to crack the IPL in a big way early on, apart from the occasional impactful knock. But the 2009 season felt a bit better for me. The pitches that year suited my game-the ball was coming onto the bat nicely, and I could play my shots more freely. It was definitely an interesting phase in my career,” said Kohli.
Virat Kohli’s responsibility will be to deliver effective numbers to RCB consistently. After his underwhelming batting against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Titans (GT), he became a target of critics. Forgetting his previous failures, he did a fine job against MI and he will be expected to make his game better as the competition moves ahead.
