Virat Kohli issues an official statement after RCB gets knocked out of IPL 2024
Published - 23 May 2024, 03:22 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 10:50 PM
Virat Kohli was absolutely dejected after the Royal Challengers Bengaluru officially exited from the IPL 2024 edition from the Eliminator stage.
The RCB had squared up with the Rajasthan Royals last night at the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad with an aim to keep their unbeaten streak alive. Bengaluru was on a run of 7 wins back-to-back after going winless for almost a month in the first half of IPL 2024.
Bengaluru had won just 1 game out of their first 8 matches home and away but in the second half, they turned up with a different mindset. Virat Kohli, who was anyways in supreme form this season and is certain to win the Orange Cap, was the one who inspired and pushed the team to turn things around for themselves and their self-respect.
That's what exactly happened but RCB won't be winning the coveted and elusive IPL title this season as well.
Virat Kohli reflects on Bengaluru's season after the loss
While speaking in the latest video on RCB's official X handle, Virat Kohli had quite a few things to say about how the season went for the team. Kohli started off by highlighting Bengaluru's performance in the early days of the season when they were absolutely down and out; and weren't able to win a single game.
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Virat Kohli kept it very honest that despite having high standards as cricketers, none of the players were able to live up to it. The 36-year-old revealed that the team was very low on confidence and they needed a push to turn the tables. That's when they decided to play for their own pride and self-respect and it was something that gave the players a lot of confidence about themselves.
It was because of that confidence, that the Royal Challengers were able to pick themselves up, express and win matches. The back-to-back in their last 7 games was truly something special and it is a memory that Virat Kohli will cherish forever. He also appreciated his teammates for their character and braveness to make sure the team didn't get kicked out of the league stages.
"To be very honest, the first half of the season was really underpar performance from us. The standards that we have as cricketers, we were not living up to the standards."
"You know we just started expressing ourselves, started playing for our own self-respect, and then the confidence came back, and the way we turned things around and qualified was truly special, something that I will always cherish and remember because it took a lot of character and heart from each member of the team." - Virat Kohli said.
What next for Virat Kohli?
Virat Kohli is now expected to join the first batch of the Indian team, which is set to fly over to the USA on May 25th for the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. RCB's exit from IPL 2024 is a confirmation that the batting stalwart will join the likes of Rohit Sharma, Rishabh Pant, Hardik Pandya, Mohammed Siraj, and Jasprit Bumrah in the flight to New York.
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