Aaron Finch reveals how Virat Kohli surprised him at RCB

Australia’s limited-overs captain Aaron Finch finally shared the dressing room with Virat Kohli in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) when he plied his trade for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The batting star has been playing in IPL since 2010 and had represented as many as seven teams before joining RCB.

And Finch has revealed how Virat Kohli surprised him with his attitude as a captain. The Australia star opened up on Kohli’s tactics as a captain and revealed how the India skipper focused just on RCB and not on the opposition. Finch stated how Kohli had immense faith in his players and how he backed them to win.

“What really surprised me was how, he obviously does a lot of planning and preparation himself, and into the opposition, but he never focused more on the opposition than his own team. At Bangalore, he was always confident in the XI players that were picked and knew that if you played well, you had every chance of winning,” Aaron Finch was quoted as saying by ‘Sydney Morning Herald’.

“I was really surprised by how confident he was in everyone, he had a lot of time for everyone. He was great around the group, a lot more relaxed. I had never played with him, I had only played against him,” he added

Kohli’s faith in his players nearly paid off as RCB made it to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. The three-time finalists had started the tournament on a stunning note by winning seven of their first ten games. However, they lost form in the second half of the competition and bowed out with a defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator.

Virat Kohli can be ruthless on an opposition: Aaron Finch

Having spent a considerable amount of time with Virat Kohli, Aaron Finch had a word of advice for his teammates ahead of the Test series between India and Australia. Finch has urged his compatriots to strike a “fine balance” when they confront Virat Kohli in the opening Test of the much-anticipated four-match series. Finch pointed out that Kohli could be ruthless if provoked too much.

“I think there will be times when things boil over and when you have got strong characters on either team that’s going to come to a head at some point. (But) there is a fine balance there, isn’t there? You don’t want him (Kohli) to get up and about in the contest. When he does, he can be ruthless on an opposition,” said Aaron Finch.

The first Test is scheduled to start on December 17 at the Adelaide Oval. It will be a day-night affair. Kohli will be playing the game before returning home to attend the birth of his first child. In his absence, Ajinkya Rahane will lead the side.