Virat Kohli with AB de Villiers
Indian skipper Virat Kohli on Friday expressed his love for Royal Challengers Bangalore and said that the admiration and loyalty of the fans will never let him leave the franchise. Kohli said this during an Instagram Live session with former South African captain and RCB teammate AB de Villiers.
RCB are among the two teams yet to win an IPL trophy. They had reached the final thrice, but failed to grab the elusive cup. Kohli said winning the tournament remains the goal but he would not leave the team irrespective of the results.
"It has been such an amazing journey. It is always going to be our dream, winning the IPL together. There is no scenario where I could think of leaving the team ever.
"You can feel emotional about the season not going well but till the time I am playing IPL, I am never leaving this team. The fans, their loyalty has been amazing," said the India skipper.
Responding to Kohli's feelings towards RCB, De Villiers too acknowledged the support of fans over the past nine years. Kohli, on the other hand, has been with RCB since 2008.
"Same for me. I never want to leave RCB but to do that I got to keep scoring runs. I am not the captain you see," said the South African in jest.
Both recalled their early days in international cricket and their growth as cricketers and friends.
Kohli said at times, the youngsters coming in have too much regard for the "system" and he wants to see them break the norm.
"I want to see youngsters coming in scoring 500-600 runs. I want people to break the norm. Sometimes I feel people have too much regard for the system in sport. When you break the shackles, you do something special."
Kohli also acknowledged contribution of Mark Boucher, Gary Kirsten and Duncan Fletcher early on in his international career.
"Gary always gave me positive feedback. Boucher told me in 2008 to improve my game against the short ball. He had the vision. Then Fletcher, he had a keen eye for the game. So many people who have contributed (to my growth)," said Kohli.
De Villiers picked the 119 at Wankhede in the 2015 series decider as his best knock against India. Kohli picked the 119 he scored in Johannesburg Test in 2013.
"I was always really motivated to win the series after 2-2 . I was incredibly motivated to do something special," de Villiers said.
