Not leaving RCB till the time I am playing IPL, says Kohli
The love and loyalty of the fans will never let him leave Royal Challengers Bangalore till the time he is playing Indian Premier League, skipper Virat Kohli said on Friday.
RCB have reached the Indian Premier League final thrice but have not gone on to win the trophy.
During a live session on Instagram with former South African captain and RCB teammate AB de Villiers, Kohli said winning the tournament remains the goal but he would not leave the team irrespective of the results.
"It has been such an amazing journey. It is always going to be our dream, winning the IPL together. There is no scenario where I could think of leaving the team ever.
"You can feel emotional about the season not going well but till the time I am playing IPL, I am never leaving this team. The fans, their loyalty has been amazing," said the India skipper.
De Villiers revealed that he would be auctioning his and Virat Kohli's kits from the 2016 Indian Premier League (IPL) match against Gujarat Lions for raising funds to aid the battle against the coronavirus.
De Villiers and Kohli have decided to auction their RCB kits from the 2016 Green Day match against Gujarat Lions.
In that game, both batsmen went on to score centuries to take their side over the line.
Talking about this initiative, de Villiers told Kohli: "In 2016 IPL match against Gujarat Lions, we both scored centuries, it was a good partnership, it was an enjoyable one, I got 120 odd and you got your hundred towards the end, it was the Green game, we did our bit for creating awareness about the environment".
"The plan now is to get our kits to go for an online auction, the green kits would go for auction, people can go and bid and all the proceeds will go the COVID-19 fund and it is a cause which will provide food to the maximum number of people, he added.
Both recalled their early days in international cricket and their growth as cricketers and friends.
Kohli said at times, the youngsters coming in have too much regard for the "system" and he wants to see them break the norm.
"I want to see youngsters coming in scoring 500-600 runs. I want people to break the norm. Sometimes I feel people have too much regard for the system in sport. When you break the shackles, you do something special."
Kohli also acknowledged contribution of Mark Boucher, Gary Kirsten and Duncan Fletcher early on in his international career.
"Gary always gave me positive feedback. Boucher told me in 2008 to improve my game against the short ball. He had the vision. Then Fletcher, he had a keen eye for the game. So many people who have contributed (to my growth)," said Kohli.
De Villiers picked the 119 at Wankhede in the 2015 series decider as his best knock against India. Kohli picked the 119 he scored in Johannesburg Test in 2013.
"I was always really motivated to win the series after 2-2 . I was incredibly motivated to do something special," de Villiers said.
They also picked their combined South Africa and India ODI team. It included Sachin Tendulkar, Rohit Sharma, Virat Kohli, Ab de Villiers, Jacques Kallis, M S Dhoni (captain), Yuvraj Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Dale Steyn, Jasprit Bumrah and Kagiso Rabada.
