Virat Kohli is no longer the Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper, with Faf du Plessis taking over the reins from IPL 2022. Meanwhile, Kohli is glad to see RCB's transition with himself being around.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) ushers a new era under Faf du Plessis, the new skipper of the side for the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL). He replaces Virat Kohli, who led the side for eight seasons, but failed to deliver himself or the franchise's maiden title to date. As RCB goes through a transition in its captaincy, Kohli feels lucky to be around during this period and witness it all with his own eyes.
Despite having given up the leadership role, Kohli will continue to play a vital role in the RCB team, while du Plessis will make the decisions. Having been associated with the side since IPL's inception in 2008, du Plessis would like to have all the inputs from Kohli regarding the squad in his captaincy tenure. Meanwhile, Kohli has pledged to guide du Plessis in the best way possible, affirming that he will keep playing for RCB until he hangs up his boots.
FOLLOW ALL IPL 2022 UPDATES HERE
"Many people see transitions happen when they are away from the system. I'm lucky enough to see it happen before my eyes while I am still part of the larger picture. That, for me, is an inspiring space to be in because you are still an individual who is part of a team, whether you are a captain or not. You have got to still look for ways to contribute to the environment. I'm certainly in a space where I will help him with anything that I can," he told RCB.
"When you make a decision like this [quitting cpataincy], many people go: 'oh well, one should look at things with a point of view of responsibility, and you've got to take responsibility'. People don't understand that if you as a player cannot be the best version of yourself on the field, then that responsibility for me personally as a player means nothing," added Kohli.
ALSO READ: IPL 2022 - WILL RCB FANS SEE THE VIRAT KOHLI FROM 2016? SUNIL GAVASKAR ANSWERS
As far as du Plessis is concerned as the new RCB skipper, Kohli has termed him an "able" captain. Kohli claimed that the Protean has already set a vision for the side, and the players are buying in. While du Plessis had stated that he would put in the "relational" style of captaincy, Kohli asseverated that it is already in place since last week's preparatory camp.
"Even here, you can see he is at ease with everyone in the squad, the whole environment in general. And people have a sense of respect for him where if he is making plans or talking about stuff, people are saying 'hold on, let's get into it, listen to it, we got to make a plan around his vision'," concluded Kohli.
