Sharjah: Virat Kohli, the captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore and one of the hottest properties in world cricket today, does not believe in half measures. It shows from the aggression in his batting and his level of commitment on the field, and it’s a principle he wants to employ for RCB in this Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
The team missed golden chances to put their names on the roll of honour when they lost the finals of 2010 and 2011, but Kohli wants to set the record straight this year.
“This time, we hope to go a few more steps and actually get the trophy. We have added a few more quality players and I am sure will come out with flying colours,” said the man of the tournament in the recent Twenty20 World Cup in Bangladesh.
Speaking at a media briefing on the eve of their match against Delhi Daredevils on Thursday, Kohli tried to grab the psychological edge by saying that the absence of Delhi’s star batsman Kevin Pietersen due to a finger injury will certainly be an advantage for RCB.
“There is not much basic difference between the conditions and the wickets in the UAE and India and we are looking at a good start,” he added.
Based in Dubai ever since their arrival earlier this week, RCB have been training at the state-of-the-art facilities at the ICC Academy — and there has been no departure from their usual routine even on the eve of the match.
The Daredevils, however, decided to have a close look at the Sharjah wicket and held an extended nets session next to the match wicket.
Batsman Chris Gayle, the undisputed king of Twenty20 cricket and a senior member of the RCB squad, is planning a surprise for IPL spectators this year. The exponent of the ‘Gangnam Style’ dance on cricket pitches is planning his moves with a new partner from Thursday onwards. “Yuvi [Yuvraj Singh] and I are going to do a Gangnam Style together. I am sure he is looking forward to it,” the West Indian dasher said on the team website.
