"Excitement is in the air" - Virat Kohli after receiving his RCB gear ahead of IPL 2022
Former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli expressed his excitement for the new season by posing with his brand new RCB gear. Kohli recently joined the IPL team's camp in Mumbai ahead of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022.
Most RCB players have begun their training drills in the nets. Virat Kohli will join the rest of the contingent soon after completing his quarantine. He took to his official Instagram handle to give fans an update on the arrival of his RCB gear for the new season. An enthusiastic Kohli captioned the post:
"IPL is around the corner and excitement is in the air 👌💯."
After several years at the helm of the RCB side, Virat Kohli relinquished the captaincy following last season. For the first time since IPL 2013, the 33-year-old will play in the IPL without the responsibilities of leading the RCB franchise.
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Aakash Chopra analyses the best batting position for Virat Kohli in IPL 2022
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra highlighted that RCB team management played musical chairs with the No. 3 slot in the batting line-up last year. He advised the side to give the players clear and well-defined roles to achieve success.
In a conversation with ESPNcricinfo, Aakash Chopra analyzed the RCB batting line-up and said:
"Last year when Kohli was opening the batting, a game of musical chairs was being played for the No. 3 spot. They stopped at Srikar Bharat at the end but then sent him at No. 4 too. We've seen this a lot in RCB's recent history that they shuffle the batting order a lot but if you can identify the crucial positions beforehand [it would be better]."
Chopra then put his weight behind Virat Kohli to bat at the familiar No. 3 position for RCB this season and said:
"Also, keep in mind there's no AB de Villiers. When he was there, they were assured he would handle the situation from No. 4 or No. 5. Of course, you have Dinesh Karthik but he isn't AB de Villiers. You will want Virat Kohli to take the game deep and stay at the pitch till the 14th or 15th over. So I'll say Virat Kohli at 3."
Virat Kohli will be back in action when RCB square off against Punjab Kings on March 27 at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai.