India's and Royal Challengers Bangalore's former captain, Virat Kohli, revealed why he stepped down from the captain's role after over eight years, describing it as increasingly "really tough" to handle the pressure and demands of being the captain.
The leadership career of Kohli started in 2008 as he guided India U-19 to U-19 World Cup victory. Then, he picked up the mantle for the Indian national team as well as his franchise, RCB. Although Kohli found incredible success as captain of India with a series of victories and a significant impact on leadership statistics, he failed to deliver an IPL title for RCB as captain.
“At one point, it did become tough for me because there was just too much happening in my career. I was captaining India for a period of 7-8 years. I captained RCB for 9 years. There were expectations on me from a batting perspective in every game that I played. I didn't have this sense that the attention was off me," Kohli said on RCB Podcast – Mindset of a Champion.
"If it wasn't captaincy, it would be batting. I was exposed to it 24x7. It did get very tough on me, and it did get too much in the end. That's why I stepped down because I felt like if I've decided I want to be in this place, I need to be happy. I need to have a space in my life where I can just come and play my cricket without being judged, without being looked at as what are you going to do this season and what's going to happen now," he added.
The 36-year-old said that his association with RCB since the inception of the tournament is more than any silverware. “For me, what's more valuable is the relationship and the mutual respect that has been created over so many years (with RCB). And I'm just going to say it now, whether we win or we don't win, it's fine. This is my moment. The love that I've received from the fans, I don't think any silverware, or any trophy can come close to that because the impact of that love from people hits you very different to winning something and the next morning it's all gone. This, I feel, will stay with me for life," Kohli said.
Looking back at Mark Boucher's impact on his early days, the former skipper recounted how the veteran South African wicket-keeper batter helped him overcome a particular weakness in his game. Boucher recognized the young man's vulnerability against the short ball and took it upon himself to assist him in overcoming that problem, giving him invaluable advice that would mold his growth as a player.
“Mark Boucher had the biggest impact on me as a young player. He was the only one who came in with the mindset to genuinely help young Indian players. He identified my weaknesses without me even asking and said, ‘You need to work on the short ball, no one will give you a chance in international cricket if you can't pull.’ He kept working with me relentlessly, and I started improving.
"I still remember him telling me, ‘If I come to commentate in India four years from now and don’t see you playing for India, you’d be doing a disservice to yourself.’ That really pushed me to keep getting better.”
Looking back at his emergence into the Indian team, Virat Kohli appreciated Gary Kirsten and MS Dhoni for their constant motivation and advice. He said both Kirsten and Dhoni supported him to bat at number 3 at the beginning of his international career, a crucial position that contributed to his development as a major player in the Indian batting order.
“I was very realistic about my abilities. Because I had seen a lot of other people play. And I did not feel like my game was anywhere close to theirs. The only thing that I had was determination. And if I wanted to make my team win, I was willing to do anything. That was the very reason I got chances to play for India initially. And Gary and MS made it very clear to me that we are backing you to play at number three.
"This is what you can do for the team. What you represent on the field, your energy, your engagement, is of the biggest value to us. We want you to play that way. So, I was never looked at as this outright match winner who can change the game from anywhere. But I had this thing, I'm going to stay in the fight. I'm not going to give up. And that is what they backed.," Kohli said.
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