Hopefully We're Able To Maintain Good, Strong And Secure Environment To Have A Quality IPL: Virat Kohli

Indian skipper Virat Kohli said that it was unfortunate to not have the final Test against England in Manchester which could not decide the conclusion of the Test series.

The fifth Test was called off hours before the toss after the COVID-19 scare disturbed the Indian camp. On the eve of the final Test, India suffered a heavy blow after their second physiotherapist Yogesh Parmar contracted the dreadful COVID-19 virus after which all the players had to go under immediate RT-PCR Tests which turned out negative.

Yet Indian players were skeptical to play the fifth Test in such an environment and hence they collectively wrote a letter to the Indian board to convey their decision.

Unfortunate that we had to end up here early: Virat Kohli

Eventually, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) mutually agreed with their counterpart England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to call off the match. Virat Kohli said that he is hoping to maintain a strong and secure environment for IPL.

“Unfortunate that we had to end up here (UAE) early, but with COVID in place, things are very uncertain. Anything can happen at any time. Hopefully, we’re able to maintain a good, strong, and secure environment, and have a quality IPL. It’s going to be an exciting phase and a very important one for us at RCB and then for the Indian team at the T20 World Cup,” Virat Kohli said on RCB Bold Diaries. 

Bold Diaries: Virat Kohli & Mohammed Siraj join RCB

“The replacement players have great skillsets, especially in these conditions. Excited to see them with the whole group & to resume a very good season that we started last time around,” says captain Kohli.#PlayBold #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/VvqKN3qhLo

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) September 13, 2021

Our key players of RCB will be missed: Virat Kohli

Kohli, who is also the captain of RCB, arrived in the UAE along with teammate Mohammed Siraj on Sunday via a chartered flight from Manchester to Dubai to participate in the second leg of IPL 2021. The duo will be quarantined for six days before they join RCB for training.

RCB have signed many new players like the Sri Lankan pair of Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera along with Singapore international Tim David after Australian players Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson and Daniel Sams pulled out of the tournament due to personal reasons.

Kohli said that the team will be missing their key players but the new signings will be a great treat for the team in UAE conditions.

“I’ve been in touch with everyone. We’ve had discussions over the last month or so, a little longer than that with the replacements, who’s coming and who’s not. Eventually, we ended up replacing our key players with some top-quality cricketers,” Kohli mentioned. 

“Our key players will be missed, and they are a part of the family, but the people coming in as well have great skill sets, especially for these conditions. So, I’m very excited to see them, with the whole group at practice and certainly very excited to resume a very good season that started last time around,” he added. 

RCB play their first match against Kolkata Knight Riders on September 19 at Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Also Read: England vs India 2021: Virat Kohli E-Mailed The BCCI At Midnight; IPL And Match Cancellation Were Linked – David Gower