'Virat Kohli ambitious about what he can achieve with RCB this year'

BENGALURU: Virat Kohli’s retirement, just ahead of the England tour, caused much upheaval in the cricket world. Over the past two days, much before RCB arrived at the venue, chants of “Kohli, Kohli,” have been reverberating across the stadium. For Kohli, though, it has been business as usual. RCB’s director of cricket Mo Bobat put his finger on the pulse. “He should be incredibly proud of what he’s done as a Test player for India. As a franchise, we are all incredibly proud. To play 120-plus (123) Test matches and score nearly 10,000 (9230) runs is no mean feat. There’s enough public and the nation’s attention on him. He doesn’t want any more of that. He just wants to get on with his business. He’s ambitious about what we can achieve this year with RCB.” Bobat revealed the Indian superstar had been talking about his imminent decision. “He’s spoken to a few of us about things in the last few weeks, but you know what he’s like, he’s pretty clear on what he wants to do.” Bobat, who was the England men’s team’s performance director till last year, recalled the England team’s perception of Kohli. “He was someone you never wanted to play against; he was always the batter you wanted to get out. You knew that if he was either in the pavilion to come or at the crease, you were in trouble. Some of my fondest memories watching Test cricket involve him.” Bobat said India’s tour of England in 2018 was his best memory of Kohli. Although India lost the series 1-4, Kohli was the highest run getter (with 593 runs). In the opening contest in Birmingham, Kohli scored a well-crafted 149, albeit in a losing cause. “I’ll never forget the 2018 India series in England, the Test at Edgbaston, watching Jimmy Anderson and him do battle like two gladiators. Jimmy must have bowled nine overs on the try. There were two of the best players in the world doing their things. That’s what he’s about, he’s about those special moments, those inspiring moments,” recalled Bobat. Even as fans planned tributes for the former Indian skipper, RCB remained tightlipped about their plans for Kohli’s first match as a former India Test player.