Virat Kohli put the cricketing community into a whirl on Sunday when he announced that he will step down as captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the end of the IPL 2021 season. His declaration came a day before RCB’s first match in the UAE leg, which they would play against Kolkata Knight Riders. Other than being RCB’s first IPL 2021 match in the UAE, Virat Kohli’s match against Eoin Morgan’s KKR on Monday holds special significance for him. It will be the RCB captain’s 200th game in the Indian Premier League, with all of them coming in Bengaluru colors.
Kohli’s RCB teammates and staff members praised him for his incredible achievement and explained what makes him unique ahead of his 200th IPL game. “Congratulations on your 200th game for RCB, ‘Biscuit.’ It’s an incredible accomplishment, and we’re honored to be a part of it. We’ll celebrate you when we go out for your 200th game because you’re a true legend for our squad. We don’t always express it, but we are grateful for everything you do for this squad.” In a video released on RCB’s official Twitter account, AB de Villiers stated.
“Congratulations Virat bhai. Obviously, an outstanding achievement 200 games for the same franchise. Shows loyalty, shows commitment to RCB. The one thing I really love and stands out for me is the fact you always play for the team. You are incredibly selfless in terms of the way you operate,” said Mike Hesson, Director of Cricket Operations RCB and also the current head coach.
“Congratulation Virat bhaiya. Please keep motivating youngsters like me who follow you,” said RCB pacer Mohammed Siraj.
“He took me by surprise. From distance, you may see all the raucousness, loudness, and gestures, but you never see the person behind it all. To learn more about him and to acquire a better understanding of him. It’s been great playing under him, and seeing how much he cares and likes being out there with the players has been a real eye-opener to see the person behind the genius that is Virat” Glenn Maxwell, an Australian star, said as much.
