The 156-run target wasn’t a tall task, but the loss of a few quick wickets did put pressure on Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s chase in the middle overs. The presence of Virat Kohli though seemed to bring relief and kept hope flickering in the dugout.
Kohli wasn’t ready to celebrate till the task was over. Even as the whole stadium broke into a chorus of “Aar-cee-bee, Aar-cee-bee” with 10 runs remaining, Kohli, along with Jitesh Sharma, stayed composed and concentrated on the task on hand.
Only when he smashed a six off Arshad Khan for the winning runs, did Virat show some emotion. A raise of the bat was followed by his signature fist-pump gesture towards the dressing room.
“It’s stuff that you dream of,” Kohli said. “I’ve thought of this moment many times... that once when we win the IPL, I should be standing there hitting the winning runs. Tonight, it was possible.”
It was not just about winning the second IPL title for Kohli. He seemed to be fighting a personal battle while making a telling statement. Kohli’s recent remarks in a RCB
podcast after making the playoffs gave a hint about the prickly relationship he enjoys with the men who matter in Indian cricket.
There’s no doubt that he can still add enormous “value” to the side whenever he takes the field. The trust he enjoys in the RCB ranks was evident in Devdutt Padikkal’s words.
“When each wicket fell, I was just talking to Venky (Venkatesh Iyer). He was asking me, ‘Are you getting nervous?’ I was like, as long as he (Kohli) is there, there’s no need to be nervous because he knows what he is doing and he does it every single time... You can see he is hungry for more, so it’s great to see that,” said Padikkal.
Kohli was determined to make it two in a row after last season’s success. He had experienced the heartbreaks of 2009 and 2011 and the agony of 2016 and didn’t want to leave anything to chance. Perhaps that is why he was focused on the job till the task was achieved.
The pitch was slow and RCB set out with a definite plan to make the most of the Powerplay on Sunday. “I just told him (Venkatesh) one thing: we need to kill the game in the Powerplay,” Kohli said of the brief conversation he had with his opening partner. “And he said, ‘yeah, let’s go’. There was total clarity.”
Kohli has evolved with the times and has brought the Gen Z approach to his batting. He has spoken repeatedly about the need to match the way the younger generation
approaches a certain situation in a match.
“You see these super young players pushing you all the time and really asking you to change your game and up the ante,” Kohli said. “It’s an exciting situation because it gives you something to improve on, something to work towards.
“It was just the demands of today’s modern game where you need to get those 20-30 extra runs. I had to kind of change my mindset, not my game so much, but more often take the bowlers on, probably the best bowlers in the opposition. That was always my target.”
Kohli’s attitude also reflected on the team and it showed in the way they performed. Jitesh put it down well after the win.
“Mo (Bobat, director of cricket) said earlier we are not defending... ‘We are attacking this trophy’. We are chasing something. Because of that, our mindset changed.
We were trying to dominate more. We were not defensive,” said Jitesh.
“I think credit goes to the management. The way they have nourished us, given us surroundings. Like I am… 32 years old. But the way DK (Dinesh Karthik) anna has taken care of me; Mo, when I was not performing... I think it gives you an identity that
there are good people in this team. You are not a big player. If you are a good human, you can give something to the team. They will give you value.”
But the biggest influence was Kohli. His electrifying presence always rubs off on the youngsters. As India captain, he was always caring and nurtured the youngsters. That trait wasn’t missing at RCB. Kohli may not have been the captain this time, but he was the undisputed leader who made things happen.