Will Virat Kohli’s presence change the fortunes for RCB?

The flamboyant cricketer, Virat Kohli has emerged as one of the leading batsmen in the world cricket. He plays his game aggressively and is not afraid to express himself on the field.

When we look at Virat Kohli, we feel he was born to be the captain. He just grows into the job. His initiation as a captain in IPL is back in 2012 when RCB made him in charge for few games and eventually gave him the full-time captaincy in 2013. He is a quintessential leader who has a mixture of a young and experienced side, who wish to fix their spot in the starting eleven, who are aggressive in nature, and who are hungry to perform at this level. He believes in results, and he believes in fighting till the last ball.

Kohli made it to the history of IPL as he had a dream run in last year scoring 973 runs in 16 matches at an average of 81.08 and an astonishing strike rate of over 150 and smashed 4 centuries in the tournament. He has been a consistent performer for Royal Challengers Bangalore and has consistently played many match winning knocks for his side which eventually helped RCB to reach the finals last year.

Arguably no player likes to be rooted to the dugout when action plans are going in the middle, least of all, Virat Kohli. He missed out first three games of this year’s IPL as he suffered a shoulder injury while playing the 3rd Test against Australia in Ranchi.

In his absence, Royal Challengers Bangalore played three matches and won only one out of it shows what actually he means to the team. He returned to the field after almost a month, and probably it seems all different from Royal Challengers Bangalore. Though his presence wasn’t enough to help RCB beat Mumbai in the previous encounter, but the aggression and enthusiasm to be out there and express themselves were definitely there, and the reason was, ‘Virat Kohli’.

There wasn’t the faintest hint of any discomfort with the injured right shoulder while Kohli batted. The familiar batting stance, perfect coordination of hands and feet, and the usual intense concentration helped him to smash 62 runs in 47 balls. His innings laced with two sixes and five fours which helped RCB to put up a modest total of 142 runs.

Virat Kohli is the flavour of Royal Challengers Bangalore. The Delhi lad almost single-handedly guided his team to the title clash last year on the back of some unbelievable knocks and his leadership skills before falling at the final hurdle. He has been the instrumental in their success last season and now, coming back from injury would definitely boost the team to put in extra effort on the field.

He has been an inspirational leader for even the national side as Team India won each and every series in their long home season consisting of as many as 13 Tests. After smashing 4 double centuries in the first 4 series, the captain had a lean patch against Australia after injuring his shoulder in the 3rd match which stopped him from taking the field in the 4th and the final test in Dharamsala.

With his return, Kohli will definitely look to turn the fortunes for RCB but knowing te competition it won’t be an easy task for the man himself. Despite being contenders of the coveted title for the last 9 years, RCB has failed to seize the opportunity at crucial junctures of the game which hasn’t allowed them to lift a title till date. Even in this edition, they stand a clear chance to be crowned champions but with the chokers tag, it remains to be seen how they respond as the tournament progresses.

They will surely want to start winning and get their campaign back on track. De Villiers smashed a sensational 89 the other day to announce his arrival in the team while Kohli roared back to form with a 62. Thier bowling attack hasn’t been able to gel as a unit at crucial phases which have been vital behind their below par performances. Kohli will surely work out a plan and will come all guns blazing against Rising Pune Supergiant scheduled to start in an hour’s time.

The flamboyant Delhi lad loves taking responsibilities on his shoulders but at the same time knows what to expect from his players. The amount of maturity, consistency and leadership abilities Virat Kohli brings to this side, has inspired players in past. The fortune of Royal Challengers Bangalore will definitely change with his presence as a batsman and leader. In next two weeks of IPL, we can expect a turnaround in the points table where we can definitely see RCB rising to the top of the table.