Virat Kohli
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli's captaincy era in the IPL came to an end on Monday as his outfit suffered a four-wicket defeat to two-time champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2021 Eliminator at Sharjah Cricket Stadium.
Kohli, who was captaining RCB for the last time, did make a contentious decision by opting to bat on a sluggish surface which also offered turn. Sunil Narine took 4/21 in his four overs, breaking the back of Bangalore's batting and restricting them to 138/7 in 20 overs. In reply, Kolkata got past the finish line with two balls to spare.
Kohli was appointed the skipper of RCB ahead of the 2013 IPL season as a successor to outgoing captain Daniel Vettori. Since then, he led the Bangalore franchise to 66 wins in 150 games and an appearance in the IPL finals.
Kohli's tenure as the RCB skipper also comprised two wooden spoon finishes for the team, 70 defeats and four games that didn't yield results. The 32-year-old has also announced that he will relinquish the Indian team's T20I captaincy after the upcoming World T20 in the UAE and Oman.
After the defeat, Kohli picked "loyalty" over "worldly pleasures", asserting that he would hang up his boots only in RCB colours. Many fans backed Bangalore to win the elusive IPL title on Kohli's swansong and their leader said that he's given his 120 per cent for the franchise.
"Yes definitely, I don't see myself playing anywhere else. Loyalty matters more to me than worldly pleasures. I would be in the RCB till the last day I play in the IPL," he said after the contest.
"I have tried my best to create a culture here where youngsters could come in and play with freedom and belief. It is something I have done with India as well. I have given my best.
"I don't know how the response has been, but I have given 120% to this franchise every time, which is something I will now do as a player. It is a great time to regroup and restructure for the next three years with people who will take this ahead," he further said.
On the match, Kohli felt that it was the trio of Shakib Al Hasan, Narine and Varun Chakravarthy who tilted the match in Kolkata's favour. He also admitted that the par score could have been around 155.
"Those middle overs where their spinner dominated the game was the difference. They kept bowling in tight areas and kept picking wickets.We had a great start and it was about quality bowling and not bad batting. They thoroughly deserve to win this one and be in the next round.
"Fifteen runs less with the bat and a couple of big overs with the ball cost us. Sunil Narine has always been a quality bowler and today he once again showed it. Shakib, Varun and him created pressure and didn't allow our batsmen to getaway in the middle," he signed off.
