Virat Kohli had earlier announced that he will not be leading the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise in the upcoming seasons of the IPL. South Africa’s Faf du Plessis was appointed as the captain of the side earlier this month.
Now RCB all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has given a bold statement regarding Virat Kohli. Maxwell has said that Virat Kohli looks “stress free” now and it will be a dangerous sign for the other teams. Virat’s sole focus will be on his batting now and he will look to give his 100% for the team.
“He knows he’s handing the captaincy over, which I think is potentially a big burden for him. It might have been something that’s been weighing him down for a while and now that he’s been able to release it, it might be dangerous news for opposition teams,” Maxwell told RCB Podcast.
“It is amazing for him to be relaxed a bit and actually enjoy the next few years of his career without any of that sort of external pressure. I think playing against him in earlier days, he was a fiery competitor, getting in your face. He’s always trying to impose himself on the game. Impose himself on the opposition.”
Kohli has become a bit softer over the years. The burden of captaincy may have put too much pressure on him to get the results as the Bangalore franchise had never been able to win the IPL. With that pressure released now we may just see the best of Virat once again. Maxwell was glad that he has become a good friend of Kohli and can have great conversations with him.
“Something I’ve noticed more from him this year is he’s been really measured with his emotions. He’s actually been really measured with his decision-making. He’s certainly really surprised me and probably how close we’ve both gotten to each other as well this year. Being able to talk about the game in a calm manner,” Maxwell said.
“Because you do see that over-excited, in your face style when you play against him. But to play with him and have really good conversations about the game, I’ve really enjoyed that.”
IPL 2022 commences with a match between the Chennai Super Kings and the Kolkata Knight Riders on March 26. RCB start their season against Punjab Kings on March 27.