Virat Kohli (Image credit: BCCI/IPL)
NEW DELHI: In a candid reflection during RCB Podcast, Virat Kohli opened up about the raw emotion of finally breaking the IPL championship jinx, the legacy of RCB, and why a victory earlier in his career wouldn’t have felt even a fraction as special.For 18 long years, RCB carried the pressure of being IPL’s ‘almost champions’. No individual lived through that mounting pressure more intensely than Virat Kohli. Reflecting on the breathtaking final moments of last year’s final, he revealed the weight of expectations that was unburdened when the winning moment arrived. “It’s very difficult to explain to people in words how I felt in the last four balls of the last over,” Kohli said. “When you see from the outside what has happened to the franchise, how RCB has been looked at for so many years as a big team, a big franchise that’s never won… There’s one thing to observe and there’s one thing to live it. And I have lived through all of those seasons.” Kohli said during the podcast.Kohli, who started his IPL journey with the franchise as a teenager in the opening season in 2008 and was the only player retained by management in 2011, noted that the decades of heartbreak actually amplified the joy of the eventual triumph.“I can for sure, with absolute honesty and clarity, say that it wouldn’t have been 5% of the feeling I had had we won it in the earlier years,” Kohli admitted, pointing to the accumulation of stress over nearly two decades. “For it to happen after 18 years, there couldn’t have been a better experience for me in my cricketing journey.” The historic victory triggered an outpouring of pure emotion, not just from Kohli, but from franchise icons who built the RCB legacy over the years. Images of Kohli celebrating like a child alongside long-time teammates AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle quickly went viral.Kohli emphasised that the bond shared between the players and the city of Bengaluru goes far beyond professional contracts.“When people give so much of their own being to something, there is a very genuine and natural care and an emotional connect,” Kohli explained. “AB became the icon in India after he started playing for us… what he did for the team was beyond words. Things fell in place with Chris as well. He was sitting at home, gets called mid-season, has the season of his life, and his life changed within a week coming to Bangalore. So our franchise,our city, our team, our fans have been about impacting people in a natural way and I felt the impact more than anyone over the course of 18 years. “Despite Gayle playing for other franchises later in his career, Kohli noted that the West Indian legend still holds a ‘very soft spot for RCB’ due to the impact the franchise and the city has on them.For the former Indian captain, the long-standing title drought completely changed his perspective on how he views success. He said that his perspective evolved to understanding the collective inspiration sports provide to the fans or public for a trophy. “ To be in a position where you actually can make a positive difference to people’s lives… It’s a phenomenal opportunity. It’s a great blessing.” Kohli concluded. Kohli also emphasised on the evolving nature of the T20 format and how it has almost become a different game altogether, not just a different format. He compared it to a high-intense UEFA Champions League football game, where one moment can change the whole competition during the podcast.
