Virat Kohli’s captaincy of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) could be dismissed midway through the Indian Premier League (IPLcurrent )’s UAE leg, according to a former India batsman.
And the reason appears to be clear after watching RCB, particularly Virat Kohli, capitulate to the Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi on Monday.
RCB made a humiliating comeback to the IPL when they were bowled out for 92 by KKR in their first Phase-2 match. The RCB scored their sixth-lowest total in the IPL, losing by nine wickets to the Eoin Morgan-led KKR.
Kohli (5 runs off 4 balls) succumbed to bowler Prasidh Krishna in the first over of the encounter after deciding to bat. The 32-year-old batsman was stuck in front of the wicket, and a terrible review call didn’t help matters.
Throughout the match, Virat’s body language was not the same as it had been. He was actually channelling the energy of a player who had just announced his intention to walk away as RCB captain after the IPL 2021 season.
His action drew the wrath of experts, notably former cricketer Gautam Gambhir, who questioned the timing of his move. If Kohli had to do something like that, he could have done it after the IPL, according to him.
Some cricketers even said that the team appeared “uncomfortable” as a result of the late announcement. Kohli may be dismissed “mid-way,” according to a former India player who spoke on the condition of anonymity to IANS.
“Take a look at how he played against the Kolkata Knight Riders. Simply befuddled! He appears to be in a lot of pain right now. There’s a chance he’ll be fired in the middle of the season. It’s happened before with other teams, including KKR’s Dinesh Karthik and Sunrisers Hyderabad’s David Warner, among others. They were either removed or stepped down in the middle of the process. So it’s possible with RCB as well… After watching yesterday’s match, I got this feeling. “One more terrible game and you’ll see a change in the RCB captaincy almost immediately,” the former cricketer said.
Virat was named as RCB’s captain ahead of the 2013 IPL season, succeeding outgoing captain Daniel Vettori. Since then, the team has won only 62 of the 132 matches he has coached, with 66 losses and four no-results.
So, who could possibly succeed Kohli?
AB de Villiers, a senior player, will most likely be the best contender to replace Virat. Within the team, he is well regarded. However, there is a potential that he will decline the offer.
On the basis of seniority in the team, Yuzvendra Chahal’s name is also making the rounds. Chahal has also been the leading wicket-taker for RCB in the IPL, with 125 wickets in 106 games so far.