Virat Kohli May Be An On-Field Mentor In IPL 2022: Irfan Pathan

Mar 22, 2022 at 3:11 PM

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Virat Kohli May Be An On-Field Mentor In IPL 2022: Irfan Pathan

Virat Kohli relinquished the Royal Challengers Bangalore’s leadership position last October 2021, after leading RCB in 140 matches since taking over the role in 2013.  He was however retained by the franchise before the IPL 2022 mega auction.

The only change for Virat Kohli in the impending season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 season will be the fact that we will no longer captain Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). He had stepped down from the role at the end of IPL 2021 and RCB named Faf du Plessis as their new skipper.

Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli in action against Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2021. (IPL)
Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli in action against Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2021. (IPL)

Virat Kohli Will Be An On Field Mentor For RCB In IPL 2022 : Irfan Pathan

However, legendary Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan feels that Virat Kohli will have a bigger role to play and RCB will offer him that place in the IPL 2022 season.

Speaking on Star Sports show ‘Game Plan’, Irfan Pathan revealed details of his recent “great chat” with Virat Kohli where the 33-year-old kept telling him that he wanted to enjoy his cricket. Irfan Pathan feels that RCB will allow him to fulfil his wish and feels that while Virat Kohli is no longer the RCB captain, he will surely be an on-field mentor for the team.

“I recently had a great chat with Virat Kohli and one thing he was constantly saying was that I want to enjoy my cricket, I want to go out there are express myself – and RCB will give him that kind of pleasure.

“He’s not a captain, but he’ll definitely be an on-field mentor for RCB and I think he will enjoy that role as well where he will, go out there and express himself,” he said. 

Irfan Pathan. (Photo Source: AFP)
Irfan Pathan. (Photo Source: AFP)

Virat Kohli has captained the Royal Challengers Bangalore side in most matches – 140 matches with a win percentage of 49.29. Virat Kohli, who took over the RCB captaincy from Daniel Vettori in the 2013 season, finished with 66 wins and 70 defeats in 140 games as RCB skipper.

Virat Kohli Will Definitely Perform As He Won’t Have Responsibility In IPL 2022: Irfan Pathan

The former India cricketer also backed Virat Kohli to perform well in the 15th season of the IPL and hailed him as a “modern-day legend”.

“You play minimum 14 games and that is a lot for any cricketer, but for guys like Kohli who’s been tremendous and is a modern day legend. There’s no doubt about it. So many games.”

“He will definitely go out there and perform and we will see the Virat Kohli, the kind of expressive Kohli we see but more fun because he doesn’t have that kind of responsibility right now being the captain and when you are a captain you are looking after the result, you’re looking after the other team’s strategy, the playing XI…he won’t have that kind of responsibility he will love that,” he added.

Royal Challengers Bangalore
Royal Challengers Bangalore (Image Credit: Twitter)

Virat Kohli had announced at the beginning of the UAE leg of the 2021 edition of the IPL that he will quit as captain of the side after this season. He is the all-time leading run-scorer in the IPL. He has so far scored 6283 runs in 207 IPL matches since he joined RCB in the inaugural edition in 2008 and led them to a runners-up finish in 2016.

RCB had retained Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and Mohammed Siraj. Some of the key players that RCB acquired include Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Faf du Plessis, Josh Hazlewood, Dinesh Karthik in IPL 2022 auctions.

Faf du Plessis has the opportunity to be the first captain to win an IPL trophy for RCB as they have made it to the finals thrice in 2009, 2011, and 2016 editions but have failed to win the title.

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