Kohli applauds Bumrah for bringing India back into games 'again and again and again'

“What we saw on the streets tonight is something I’m never going to forget in my life,” says Kohli after open-top bus parade in Mumbai

ESPNcricinfo staff04-Jul-2024Virat Kohli felt the T20 World Cup was going to “slip away” from India at one point of Saturday’s thrilling final against South Africa. Five days later, while celebrating their victory with thousands of fans in Mumbai, he asked that Jasprit Bumrah be applauded for his “phenomenal” show to bring them back into the final.”Like everyone in the stadium [here], we also felt at one point if it is going to slip away again, but what happened in those [last] five overs was truly, truly special,” Kohli said, at the team’s felicitation at the Wankhede Stadium on Wednesday night. “You know what I’d like everyone to do is applaud a guy who brought us back into games again and again and again in this tournament. What he did in those last five overs, bowling two out of the last five overs, it was phenomenal. A huge round of applause for Jasprit Bumrah, please.”Related

  • Massive crowds in and around Wankhede to greet Indian team

South Africa needed 30 runs off 30 balls, having ransacked 38 off the previous two overs, when Bumrah came back for his third over. He went on to concede just four runs off the 16th over, and two off the 18th, also knocking over Marco Jansen, as India completed an incredible heist. That win, India’s first World Cup title in 13 years, was being celebrated in Mumbai, with thousands lining Marine Drive as India’s bus drove past on its way to the Wankhede. The stadium, too, was filled to capacity hours before the team’s arrival, with fans braving rain.Kohli said he will “never forget” the reception he and the Indian team received. “A big thank you to all the people who turned up in the stadium,” he said. “What we saw on the streets tonight is something I’m never going to forget in my life.”The last four days have been a roller-coaster of a ride. As soon as we won the World Cup, we wanted to get out of Barbados, get back to India and celebrate with everyone. We got stuck in the hurricane, so it was an anti-climactic feeling. But since we’ve been back, it’s been phenomenal.Fans as far as the eye can see: Marine Drive was chock-a-block ahead of the Indian team’s arrival•AFP/Getty Images

Kohli said he had never seen Rohit Sharma as emotional as he was in the moment after India’s victory in Bridgetown. Social media was ablaze with pictures of the two embracing each other on the way up the stairs of the dressing room at Kensington Oval. “I don’t know about breaking the internet, but for the first time in 15 years of playing together, I saw Rohit show so much emotion on the field,” Kohli said. “When I was walking up the steps, I was crying, he was crying and we hugged. For me, that is going to be a very special memory from that day.”Rohit said he was “relieved” to end India’s long wait for a global title. “Bringing the World Cup to this country means the world to us. This is for the people who support and watch the game, and, along with all of us, for the last 11 years, they’re the ones who’ve been wanting this trophy to come back. Finally it’s here, and I’m very happy and relieved.”

Quinton de Kock happy with results of South Africa culture camp

White-ball captain got to interact with fringe players and was greatly impressed by them

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Aug-2020Players on the fringes of the South African men’s team were afforded an opportunity to integrate with senior stars at the recently completed culture camp. The squad of 32 included the 16 contracted members of the national side as well as the High-Performance unit and the white-ball captain Quinton de Kock highlighted exactly why it was important for them to mingle.”In this environment, even though you’re contracted, it doesn’t mean that you’re guaranteed to play,” he said in a CSA press release on Thursday. “So I think it was important that the up and coming players needed to be there with the squad. This is professional sport and we’re trying to play the best team that we can. If a younger guy is performing and he gets an opportunity, it doesn’t help that he hasn’t been here and he doesn’t know anything.”We’ve seen what they’ve done in the franchise system and we know there’s a potential future for them in the team, so it was important for them to come here. It was great to learn some views from the younger guys and help them understand the situation with the Proteas and how we want to go about things.”South African cricket has recently been waylaid by stories of racial tension. This culture camp, which took place at Kruger National Park earlier this month, was a way to address that tension and at the end of it, it was decided that the South African team should never again be a place where players experience isolation or feel unable to express their feelings, and should foster respect, belonging and empathy. In service of that, their “Protea Fire” identity has been put on hold.”I think it’s been really good,” de Kock said. “We’ve had a lot of good chats which I think the team needed. Everyone is leaving feeling a lot better about the environment and about themselves. A lot of guys got things off their back. We feel a lot more comfortable as a team going forward, which was needed… we’re excited about going into the future now.”We are human and we make mistakes,” he continued. “We’re trying to get better in what we’re doing in our professions, that’s why we got together. I can’t promise results but I can promise that we’ll get better and we are learning, which will give us the best chance of getting better results.”Players who attended the camp: Aiden Markram, Andile Phehlukwayo, Anrich Nortje, Beuran Hendricks, Bjorn Fortuin, Daryn Dupavillon, David Miller, Dean Elgar, Dwaine Pretorius, George Linde, Glenton Stuurman, Heinrich Klaasen, Janneman Malan, Jon-Jon Smuts, Junior Dala, Kagiso Rabada, Keegan Petersen, Keshav Maharaj, Kyle Verryenne, Lungi Ngidi, Lutho Sipamla, Pieter Malan, Pite Van Biljon, Quinton de Kock, Rassie van der Dussen, Reeza Hendricks, Rudi Second, Senuran Muthusamy, Sisanda Magala, Tabraiz Shamsi, Temba Bavuma, Zubayr Hamza, Theunis de Bruyn.Faf du Plessis was unable to join the team due to the birth of his second daughter, Zoey.

Rohit Sharma: 'Young batters coming through the biggest positive for us this season'

The Mumbai Indians captain felt they let Gujarat Titans score 20-25 runs extra and failed to stitch partnerships in the chase

ESPNcricinfo staff26-May-20232:03

Will Mumbai be happy with their season?

Mumbai Indians’ IPL campaign in 2023 came to an end with a 62-run defeat against Gujarat Titans in the second Qualifier in Ahmedabad. Their captain Rohit Sharma said that their batting and especially the performance of some of the younger players was the biggest positive for them from this season.Mumbai adopted an ultra-aggressive approach to compensate for the loss of several of their first-choice bowlers to injury, including Jasprit Bumrah and Jofra Archer. It saw them post totals of more than 200 six times this season, the most by any team in one edition of the IPL.”I mean playing this game, qualifying as third in the tournament, you know, it gives us a lot of confidence,” Rohit told the host broadcaster after the game.Related

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Mumbai had a slow start to the season, before coming out on top of a mid-table jam to make it to the playoffs. They then beat Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator to reach the second Qualifier.Players like Tilak Varma, who smashed 43 off 14 deliveries in their defeat on Friday, and Nehal Wadhera played a role in their run to the third-place finish.”Our batting actually was the biggest positive,” Rohit said. “Some of the younger players who have come through this tournament really well is a big positive for us, something that we can take into the next season and see what we can do with the squad.”On Friday, a glorious century from Shubman Gill powered Titans to 233. While Tilak, Suryakumar Yadav (61 off 38) and Cameron Green (30 off 20) played handy knocks, Mumbai were bowled out for 171.”Yeah, look, it was a great total. Shubman batted really well. The wicket was really good. We thought, you know they got 20-25 runs extra. But you know with the batting line-up we had, we were quite positive once we went inside after the first half,” Rohit said. “Couldn’t stitch long partnerships. Greeny and Surya batted well in the middle, but we just lost our way there a little bit.”Suryakumar Yadav made 61 off 38 against Gujarat Titans•AFP/Getty Images

Rohit felt that because they lost three wickets, Mumbai didn’t make the most of the powerplay, even as they raced to 72 after the first six overs.”We thought about giving it a good crack. We wanted to be positive. And you know, you’ve got to make full use of the powerplay as well, which didn’t go well for us. We lost a couple of wickets there and then, yeah, couldn’t get that momentum which you actually want when you’re chasing a target like that.”But I thought Surya and Greeny batted well in the middle, got something for us there. But yeah, you know what? We wanted one batter just like what Gujarat did, Shubman batted till the end. We wanted someone to go and bat and take the game till deep and you never know, anything can happen.”Mumbai had to improvise plans after Ishan Kishan suffered a concussion while fielding. He collided with Chris Jordan by accident and went off the field and was replaced by Vishnu Vinod, who became the IPL’s first concussion substitute. Wadhera opened with Rohit in Kishan’s absence.”Yeah, I mean, it’s something that we didn’t expect. He had a bit of a concussion there. I dont know how that happened, but yeah, it was a last-minute change,” Rohit said. “But you know as a team you’ve got to adapt. That is something that we’ve been talking about since the start of the tournament.”You’ve got to adapt to different conditions, different situations of the game. But yeah, I’m not going to look at that. We just didn’t play well to win the game.”Vinod came out to bat in the 12th over, ahead of Tim David, and made 5 off 7 deliveries. Rohit said that decision was so that David could get a later point of entry, which seems more suited to his game.”Tim through the season, we’ve given him a role, given him a certain situation of the game where he where he is going to bat. But yeah, I mean, look, we wanted Vishnu to come and play his game,” Rohit said. “He is a good player. We have seen that. I have seen that personally. I mean, like I said, it didn’t come off today. So I’m not going to look at any judgment that we made today went wrong. Its just that, you know, Gujarat came on top today.”

Thigh strain could restrict Mathews' participation in ongoing second Test

The former captain was expected to bowl in this game, but that now appears unlikely

Andrew Fidel Fernando30-Nov-2021Angelo Mathews’ role in the ongoing second Test against West Indies in Galle could be substantially restricted after he picked up a thigh strain on the second morning.He sustained the injury while running a single in Sri Lanka’s first innings, and ended up having to retire hurt, when on 12, presumably to receive further treatment in the dressing room.Mathews did return to bat after a gap of just under eight overs, during which four Sri Lanka wickets fell. Coming in essentially at No. 10, Mathews completed only one hobbled single, choosing instead to remain in his crease and try to clobber boundaries. He hit two straight sixes and a four in the company of the tail, before becoming the last batter to be dismissed, scoring 29 of Sri Lanka’s 204.When West Indies came out to bat, Mathews did not take the field. He had been expected to bowl in this match, but that now looks unlikely. He will be assessed over the next 24 hours, but given his long-standing problems with hamstring, quad, and calf injuries, it is possible that he will not field, and only bat if required.This is Mathews’ first international series since May. In the first Test, he had hit 3 and 69 not out.

All-round Matthews shows the way again as West Indies secure T20I series against Ireland

Ireland fall well short in the second T20I, with four run-outs hurting their batting effort in a big way

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Jul-2023Hayley Matthews was at it again, leading West Indies with the bat after chipping in with the ball, to take them to a comfortable eight-wicket win over Ireland in the second of three T20Is in Gros Islet to sew up the series.Like in the first game, where she was Player of the Match for her 3 for 22 and 42-ball 37, which took West Indies to a last-ball win, Matthews was Player of the Match again here. She first returned 1 for 24 to help restrict Ireland to a modest 113 for 7, and then scored 50 in 39 balls, with nine fours, to put West Indies in sight of victory before being dismissed.Chinelle Henry’s 12-ball 22 and Shabika Gajnabi’s unbeaten 29-ball 17 finished the job for West Indies in 16.4 overs, very different to how tense it got in the first game, where West Indies were chasing an almost identical target, of 113.”I think we’re pretty happy with the result,” Matthews was quoted as saying by Cricket West Indies after the match. “Coming into this tour, we wanted to be able to take home both series [West Indies won the ODIs 2-0], so just very happy that we were able to go out there and win convincingly today and secure the T20I series.”We had more intent going out today and we noticed early on that the wicket was a bit better on today and we went out with the intent to chase down the runs quicker. What really helped us today was the fielding, the catches and run-outs we were able to take, kudos to the overall team for the bowling performance they put on and the fielders for backing them up.”Indeed, more than Matthews or any of the other West Indies bowlers – Shamilia Connell and Cherry-Ann Fraser took one wicket each, too – it was the run-outs that stymied Ireland after they had opted to bat. The first wicket, that of Gaby Lewis, was to a run-out, and the collapse from 77 for 3 in the 16th over to 113 for 7 by the end featured three more run-outs.Amy Hunter, the opener, was the best of their batters on the day, scoring 33 in 35 balls with four fours, while Laura Delany chipped in with a 35-ball 20 and there were cameos at the end from Eimear Richardson (16 in 15 balls), Rebecca Stokell (15 in 11) and Arlene Kelly (13 in nine).Matthews lost her opening partner Rashada Williams (16 in 20) off the first ball of the seventh over after a 40-run stand, which put them on the road to victory. And after Matthews fell, Henry and Gajnabi took West Indies home with lots to spare.The tour-ending third T20I will be played on July 8, also in Gros Islet.

Jennings century in vain as Parkinson haunts Lancashire

Kent prevail in final-over finish as hosts fall five runs short

ECB Reporters Network28-Jul-2024Rocky Flintoff became the youngest debutant in Lancashire’s 160-year history when he played against Kent in the Metro-Bank One-Day Cup but made just 12 in his side’s pulsating five-run defeat at Blackpool.Flintoff, who is 16 years 113 days old, faced 28 balls for his dozen runs before he was drawn forward by a legspinner from Matt Parkinson and stumped by Harry Finch. And the former Lancashire spinner Parkinson was Kent’s hero when he bowled last man Ollie Sutton in the final over to finish with 4 for 30 off 8.2 oversIt had seemed that Keaton Jennings’ third century at Stanley Park this season would enable Lancashire to get home but Kent battled ferociously hard to defend 209 on a tricky wicket and Beyers Swanepoel’s 3 for 26 off nine overs was another magnificent effort. Jennings finished unbeaten on 107 off 140 balls with 13 fours and a sixFinch had top-scored for the visitors with 48 and Jennings’ one-man effort revived his side after they been struggling on 96 for 5 in the 30th overKent managed only 46 runs in their ten powerplay overs for the loss of Swanepoel, who was caught at cover for 19 off Will Williams. Joey Evison and Ekansh Singh maintained this modest rate of progress until the 15th over when Evison was called for a single to mid-on by Singh and was run out for 22 by Jack Blatherwick’s accurate throw.Debutant Sutton then took a wicket with his first legal delivery for Lancashire when Singh attempted to cut a very wide delivery but only skied a catch to George Lavelle at point. However, Sutton’s joy was short-lived. Two balls later, he had to leave the field with a side strain.Sutton’s replacement, Josh Bohannon, bowled 5.3 tidy overs of offspin for 24 runs but left-arm spinner Charlie Barnard took the next wicket, his first in senior cricket, when Jaydn Denly lofted him to long- on and departed for a pleasant 32 that had included five fours.Moderately placed on 100 for 3 at the halfway point of their innings, Kent searched in vain for the substantial partnership that is so often concomitant with acceleration. Having made 24, Jack Leaning followed Denly’s example in lofting Barnard straight to Green, who then removed Charlie Stobo, caught and bowled for 5.Grant Stewart played on to Williams for nine and it was left to Finch and Parkinson to put on 33 in nine overs before Parkinson was run out for 19 and the innings ended in the 49th over when Green had Finch caught by Lavelle at deep midwicket for 48 and Nathan Gilchrist was caught by Jennings at point for 2. Green ended the innings with 3 for 38, Williams 2 for 41 and Barnard 2 for 47.Lancashire’s pursuit of 210 began poorly when Swanepoel removed both Bell, caught at slip by Stobo for 6, and Bohannon, brilliantly pouched by a diving Evison at cover for five, inside the first eight overs.Jennings and Balderson repaired the damage with a stand of 41 in 11 overs but any thought that Lancashire’s pursuit would be straightforward were removed when Stobo removed them both in the space of three balls to leave the home side on 65 for 4 after 19 overs.The Lancashire skipper then put on 31 in 63 balls with Flintoff and then 24 with Green before the Australian was leg before to Parkinson for 5. Jennings was then given stout support from Blatherwick, who lifted Kent skipper Leaning for two huge sixes, and the home side needed 47 off the final ten overs of a compelling contest.Swanepoel was recalled and almost immediately caught and bowled Blatherwick for 25 and Parkinson had Williams caught behind with 22 still needed off 26 balls. Lancashire needed 15 off two overs and Jennings then reached his century with a straight drive to reduce the target to ten off ten. But Barnard was run out for one and Sutton bowled second ball to spark joyous scenes among the visitors.

Starc: 'I'll drop off white-ball cricket before I let go of Test cricket'

The left-arm quick is certain he won’t be around for the next ODI World Cup, but he won’t quit ODIs immediately

Andrew McGlashan13-Nov-2023Mitchell Starc is not viewing the knockout stages of this World Cup as the swansong of his ODI career but has reiterated that it will be white-ball cricket that makes way first with a view to playing Tests for as long as possible.Although Starc, who has 230 ODI wickets at 23.17, is certain he won’t be around for the next 50-over World Cup in 2027, when he will be 37, he won’t be ditching the format immediately. Australia’s next ODIs are against West Indies in February but they don’t have anymore scheduled until a tour of England next September. There is a Champions Trophy due to be played in Pakistan in 2025.”I’ll look to keep playing after this, but I don’t doubt that I won’t be making the next World Cup. I’ve no vision for that. Four years is a long,” he told reporters in Kolkata. “I’ve always maintained that Test cricket is the top of the tree for me and I’ll drop off the rest before I let go of Test cricket. For me [the semi-final] is just another one-day game for Australia, it’s not the end of the road in one-day cricket as yet for me.”Starc will be hoping to help Australia get past South Africa in Thursday’s semi-final to earn a spot in another World Cup final on November 19 during a tournament that has been much more of a struggle than his prolific 2015 and 2019 performances.He has taken 10 wickets at 43.90 with an economy rate of 6.55 and conceded he had been below his best. But he revealed he has been carrying some niggles since the Ashes without specifically saying if they were related to the groin and shoulder problems he picked up in England, with the former keeping him out of the South Africa in September. He also noted he was not alone among quick bowlers having a difficult World Cup.Related

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“I certainly haven’t been at the level I would have liked…or not the same level as the last two World Cups anyway, but now a chance at the pointy end to impact again,” he said.”Certainly bowling first on particular wickets, the new ball with two fielders out I think has been almost the hardest time to bowl. You get a bit of an understanding of the wicket as the game goes on…that’s not a sob story, that’s the nature of one-day cricket.”You’ve got two brand new balls on flat wickets, that’s the nature of the World Cup if you look at the runs scored, or certainly centuries scored, as opposed to five wickets taken, the ratios are heavily skewed. Bowlers just have to find a way.”Starc was rested for the final group game against Bangladesh and said the decision was largely taken out of his hands.”The way we started meant we couldn’t rest anyone earlier in the campaign being 0-2. Had the chance with securing the semi-final spot the other night. Glenn [Maxwell] after his knock and his cramping needed a bit of a rest and I didn’t have much of a say in my decision. I’ve carried a few things from the Ashes and it was a chance before the semi-finals.”

Tim Southee to undergo surgery on fractured thumb, hope remains for World Cup

A decision on his place in the squad will be taken early next week

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Sep-2023Tim Southee will undergo surgery on Thursday for the thumb injury he sustained against England last week and New Zealand remain hopeful he could still be available the World Cup.Southee dislocated and fractured his right thumb attempting to take a catch at slip offered by Joe Root at Lord’s. A decision on his availability will be taken early next week.”We’ve got our fingers crossed the surgery goes well for Tim,” head coach Gary Stead said. “He’ll have some pins or screws inserted in his right thumb and, providing the procedure is a success, it will be a matter of ensuring Tim can tolerate the pain and manage the actual wound when returning to train and play.Related

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“Our opening game of the World Cup against England is not until Thursday October 5 in Ahmedabad, so that would be our logical target in terms of his availability.”Tim’s obviously a hugely experienced and important figure in our team and we want to give him every chance to be part of this World Cup campaign.”Southee is New Zealand’s third-highest wicket-taker in ODIs with 214 at 33.60 and has played in three previous World Cups.He was one of four specialist quicks named in New Zealand’s squad alongside Trent Boult, Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson. Kane Williamson is also part of the squad as he returns from an ACL injury although when he becomes available is still uncertainNew Zealand play two warm-up matches on September 29 against Pakistan and October 2 against South Africa.Five of the World Cup squad are currently part of the ODI series in Bangladesh while the rest will depart for India next Tuesday.

Suresh Raina announces retirement from cricket

The decision will allow the batter to play tournaments like the Road Safety Series and overseas T20 leagues

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Sep-2022Suresh Raina, the former India and Uttar Pradesh batter, has announced his retirement from “all formats of cricket,” confirming the end of his IPL and India domestic career. Raina, 35, had already retired from international cricket, announcing that decision on August 15, 2020 shortly after MS Dhoni had retired.”It has been an absolute honour to represent my country & state UP. I would like to announce my retirement from all formats of cricket,” Raina posted on Twitter on Tuesday.The decision will allow Raina to play tournaments like the Road Safety Series, for which he has already been confirmed, as well as overseas T20 leagues. “I want to continue playing cricket for two or three years,” he was quoted as saying by . “There are some exciting youngsters who are coming through the ranks of Uttar Pradesh cricket. I have already taken my No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association (UPCA). I have informed BCCI secretary Jay Shah and vice-president Rajiv Shukla about my decision.”I will play in the Road Safety Series. T20 franchises from South Africa, Sri Lanka and UAE have contacted me but I am yet to take any decision.”Raina had not played any first-class or list A cricket since 2018, and his last IPL game was in October 2021. Raina was a key figure for the Chennai Super Kings, whom he represented for 11 seasons between 2008 and 2021. He won four titles with CSK in 2010, 2011, 2018 and 2021 and still remains their top-scorer with 4687 runs from 176 matches. He was released by Chennai Super Kings ahead of the 2022 player auction, where he was not bought by any of the ten franchises.Raina retires having scored 6871 runs in 109 first-class games, 8078 runs in 302 list A games, and 8654 runs in 336 T20 matches. He began his senior domestic career for UP back in 2002-03, and made his international debut in 2005. Raina played 226 ODIs, 78 T20Is and 18 Tests for India, and was part of the squad that won the ODI World Cup in 2011. He was the first Indian batter to score a century in all three international formats.

Mo Bobat: 'Virat doesn't need a captaincy title to lead'

“Faf has lent on him quite a lot and we’re pretty sure that Rajat will be leaning on him too,” RCB’s director of cricket says

Ashish Pant13-Feb-20252:25

Why did RCB overlook Kohli as captain?

Virat Kohli might not be the new Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) captain, with the franchise opting for Rajat Patidar, but for Mo Bobat, RCB’s director of cricket, Kohli does not need a “captaincy title” to be a leader in the team.”Of course, Virat was an option and that goes without saying and I know that the fans would’ve probably lent towards Virat in the first instance, but we’ve seen a lot of love for Rajat too,” Bobat said in an event in Bengaluru where Patidar was unveiled as the captain for IPL 2025. “Look, my point on Virat would be that Virat doesn’t need a captaincy title to lead. I think leadership, as we’ve all seen, is one of his strongest instincts. I think it just comes naturally to him. He leads regardless.”Kohli led the RCB franchise from 2013 to 2021 before he stepped down from the role. He led the team for three matches in 2023 when regular captain Faf du Plessis was injured and played as an Impact Player.Related

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Bobat was confident that despite Kohli not being the designated captain, Patidar would lean on him like his predecessor du Plessis did.”Everybody in the country and everyone in the world knows that Virat’s a leader in every sense of the word,” Bobat said. “Andy [Flower, head coach] and I lean on him quite a lot. Faf has lent on him quite a lot and we’re pretty sure that Rajat will be leaning on him too.”Even last year with Faf as captain, we saw every bit of that. He leads as an example with the bat, the volume of runs and the strike rate that he scored at last year was so impressive and so important for us. He set the tone, he leads in the field. I can think of two or three specific instances where he’s actually created run-out chances and wickets from nothing. Everyone in the field knows that they’ve got to be up to their standards because of him. He sets the tone with his energy. Everyone has seen how much he likes a fight and a scrap and how much he wants to be the person getting us over the line.””His experience and ideas will definitely help me in my leadership role,” Patidar said of Kohli•BCCI

Bobat also said that Kohli was actively involved in discussions surrounding Patidar being named captain.”Andy and I spent some time with Virat earlier this week actually in Ahmedabad and it was really nice getting some time with him and talking things through with him [about captaincy],” Bobat said. “And what was so obvious was he had so much energy and excitement for this decision and this appointment. He’s so pleased for Rajat, like us. He knows how deserving Rajat is of this opportunity and is right behind him.”Kohli was front and centre of RCB turning their season around in IPL 2024. Having won just one out of their first eight games, RCB won six on the bounce to make a miraculous entry into the playoffs. While they went down in the eliminator, Kohli, with 741 runs in 15 innings, won the purple cap.
“I think Virat’s energy and motivation and drive is really something special to behold in a 36-year-old cricketer that’s done everything in the game,” Flower said. “I really respect him for it and it’s great role modelling for the younger players and younger overseas players to come and work with him as well. It was nice to watch it from within the same dressing room last year.”My experience with him, particularly in the first half of the last season when we were struggling and he was a huge part of turning that season around for us, in the way that he carried himself in his role modelling of how he works at the day and thinks about the day, that experience with him only made my respect for him grow. And I would say the same thing about our discussions over the captaincy of RCB coming season.”Patidar also said that having had plenty of good partnerships with Kohli over the years, he does not mind leaning on him for suggestions and that it would help him in his leadership role.”It’s a great opportunity for me to learn from one of the best,” Patidar said. “I have had a lot of partnerships with him, so I think I know him very well. So yeah, his experience and his ideas will definitely help me in my leadership role.”

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