IPL 2018

Three weeks not even looking at my kit bag was weird - Kohli

by Cricbuzz Staff • Last updated on

RCB signed Brendon McCullum (right) to bolster their batting. © Getty

It has been 42 days since Virat Kohli played a professional game of cricket. That's a luxury considering the sort of gruelling cricket schedule that he and the Indian team has had to deal with recently. Even for an athlete of his calibre, the workload was starting to take a toll, as admitted by Kohli himself on more than one occasion in the last six months. But, that's been taken care of, for now. He returns to action '100 percent' to lead Royal Challengers Bangalore into a new decade.

An 'intense' full tour of South Africa [he only missed the third and final T20I] prompted Kohli to 'completely' take time off the game, however 'weird' it got.

"Well, I required it [the break]. Physically I was up with a few niggles. I pretty much went to the tour of South Africa with full intensity. Towards the end, the body obviously took a bit of beating. I understood that I need complete time off from the game. Three weeks without even looking at my kit bag or bats was a weird feeling," Kohli said in a media interaction in Bengaluru on April 4 (Wednesday).

Staying away from the field didn't really mean Kohli was going to disconnect entirely. The kit bag was away alright, but an urge to catch up with what was happening around the world on the field kept him clued in. He took to Twitter to repeatedly shower praise on Aiden Markram, who was one of the most impressive youngsters to come away from an immensely eventful Australia tour of South Africa.

"At the back of your mind, you are never out of the game. I was keeping a check on all the scores happening around the world, especially with India playing as well. That kept me involved in some way. Physically I wanted to take a complete break. I'm feeling strong and I've been training non-stop for the last 12 days. I feel I'm getting close to my peak condition. I'm definitely at 100 percent now, 110 is what I prefer and that 10 will take a little more time."

Kohli was away when RCB did a decent job on the auction table across the two days in January. After an ordinary day one, they made a strong comeback to put together a well-rounded squad, which has filled the captain with some optimism after a barren decade in the IPL.

"We are optimistic about the season. It's very very balanced side. In the 10 years that I've been here, I don't think we've ever had such a balance. We had initially but everyone firing together is also a massive factor," Kohli said.

"This year we are not relying only on batting, we've got bowling options too. That gives us plenty of positivity heading into the IPL. Something we know is that if we execute our plans well enough, we have cricketers who are experienced and know-how to get the job done in the middle. We have faith in all the boys that are in the squad. We understand they have the intelligence level to execute the skills at the required time," he added.

Besides putting together a good squad, RCB also beefed up their backroom staff, bringing in Gary Kirsten as batting coach. Kirsten was at the helm when India won the 2011 World Cup under MS Dhoni. Kohli - who was just 22 at that time - talked up the inclusion and how it could help the younger players in the side.

"I was personally in favour of getting Gary [Kirsten] on board. This discussion came up sometime before the auction happened. I thought it's a great opportunity for the younger guys to spend time with Gary because I benefited massively from his inputs in the early stages of my career and that certainly made me a better cricketer in those tough times. I had a great working relationship with Gary."

"In terms of the batting group operating, I think he's the ideal man to supervise things. He can keep the batting group together which I saw him do at the international level with the Indian cricket team. Having so many big names in the team and how he got everyone together and the team spirit going, I think that was an outstanding factor as far as I saw it. Having Gary on board is definitely an advantage," Kohli added.

RCB have also decided to retire jersey no.12 as a tribute to their fan base, according to Kohli. The jersey was once worn by Yuvraj Singh, who will now be a part of Kings XI Punjab this season.

"RCB is retiring jersey No. 12 and naming it as the 12th man," he said. "It's a tribute to the amazing fan base we've had for the last 10 years. They have supported us regardless of how the seasons have gone and they've stood behind the team at the best and worst of times. This is a massive tribute to the fans. This belongs to all of them.

"The 12th man is as important as all the 11 members playing on the field and probably the most important person outside the field. We wanted to give that privilege to the fans."

RCB begin their IPL 2018 campaign with an away fixture against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 8.

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