Virat Kohli ends reign as RCB captain: Not everybody goes out on a high – Sunil Gavaskar
Legendary Indian cricketer Sunil Gavaskar empathized with Virat Kohli after Royal Challengers Bangalore captain ended his reign as franchise captain by failing to win the title.
RCB lost an opportunity to win an elusive IPL title as they were ousted in the Eliminator of IPL 2021 by Kolkata Knight Riders in Sharjah.
Virat Kohli took over as RCB’s full-time captain in 2013 and led them in 140 matches, winning 66 and losing as many as 70. Despite scoring plenty during his reign as captain, Kohli was not able to win a silverware for RCB.
Kohli took RCB to the play-offs four times, including the last two seasons, but they have faltered at the big stages. In 2016, Kohli had a dream run as a batsman, hitting a record-setting 973 runs, including 4 hundreds. Despite the heroic effort, RCB lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the final.
Speaking to Star Sports on Monday, Gavaskar conceded that it is disappointing to see Kohli finish without a title but that there is no doubt about his valuable contribution the team.
“It certainly is (disappointing). Everybody wants to finish on a high. Individually, you want to finish on a high. But these things don’t always happen according to what you wish or your fans wish.
“Look at what happened to Sir Don Bradman. Just 4 runs needed (for 100 average), he gets out for zero in his last innings. Look at what happened to Sachin Tendulkar. He would have wanted to finish with a hundred (in his last Test) but he got 79 in his 200th Test match.
“The script is not always written that way. Not everybody has this great fortune of going on a high,” Gavaskar said.
‘Can anyone dispute what has he has done for RCB?’
The batting great added that Kohli has added brand value to RCB that only very few other cricketers have been able to do for their respective franchises.
Kohli’s RCB posted just 138/7 in 20 overs against KKR in the eliminator as they were humbled by Sunil Narine who took 4 wickets, including that of the captain, AB de Villiers and Glenn Maxwell. Riding on Harshal Patel and Yuzvendra Chahal’s heroics, RCB took the match to the final over but it was not enough for them.
“But can one ever dispute what he has done for RCB? He has done magnificently. There was one year where he got 973 runs in T20s in the IPL. Fell short of 27 runs for 1000 runs.
“That’s such a rarity. Look at what he has done for RCB. He has given RCB a kind of profile, a kind of brand recognition that very few cricketers have given to their franchise.
“Therefore, yes, it is sad to see him not winning. But the fact he is committed to RCB till he plays RCB just tells you his commitment to RCB,” Gavaskar said.
