Virat Kohli trudged from cover, glum and head down just as the KKR scored the winning runs. He snapped out of his trance to shake hands with the players, slowly walked towards the stumps, and flicked the LED-lit bail off its perch. The lights went out literally and metaphorically on his last match as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain. No cup e-saal too.
What would the Kohli-cam show on his last day as RCB captain? Disgust, anger, nerve-popping celebrations, frustration, an ugly spat with an umpire, none of them. He talks at the end about how he tried his best as captain, and a mentor-talk with Shubman Gill before the cameras finally looked away from his night.
On Monday, nothing much went right for King Kohli, after a good start in the first inning. He made a brilliant partnership with Devdutt Padikkal. Both the openers made a 49-runs partnership in 5 over before Paddikal dismissal. They made a tactical decision to take singles off the coterie of spinners from KKR and leave the hitting to Srikar Bharat, but he seems struggling in this match and managed to score a 16-ball 9-run knock. Kohli lost his stumps as he eventually tried to hit Sunil Narine.
In between, we saw an angry confrontation with umpire Virender Sharma and captain Kohli, as he flung the ball to the ground in disgust. Later, his teammates dropped catches. He shook his head, sighed, and even roared in brief celebration before the light blew out of his campaign.
One final decision was to make whether he should go with Christian or Maxwell or Ahmad for the final. He decided to go with Christian and Shakib AL Hasan settled scored a paddled four on the first ball and seconds later, Kohli flicked off the bail.
What King Kohli Says In The Post-match Ceremony?
Post-match presentation, he said – “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 per cent 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. 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.”
