"Love this anticipation and butterflies in the stomach before the tournament starts"- Virat Kohli ahead of IPL 2022
Former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Virat Kohli expressed his excitement ahead of the new IPL season.
The 33-year old recently took to his official Instagram handle to talk about the anticipation for the upcoming IPL season.
The talismanic batter relinquished the captaincy role at the end of last season after RCB lost to KKR in the first eliminator.
For the first time since 2013, Virat Kohli will no longer have leadership responsibilities at the Bangalore franchise. Former Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis will be at the helm of the side in IPL 2022.
Kohli is currently training with his teammates in Mumbai as part of the RCB camp. The 33-year old posted a couple of pictures of himself on Instagram with the caption:
Heading into matchday weekend. All the buzz and excitement of IPL in the air. Love this anticipation and butterflies in the stomach before the tournament starts. 👌✅
"I think giving up captaincy could be a blessing in disguise" - Ravi Shastri on Virat Kohli leaving RCB captaincy
Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri opined that relinquishing the RCB captaincy might help Virat Kolhi play with more freedom with the bat.
Both Shastri and Kohli share a strong bond as they served together as the coach-captain duo of India until the 2021 T20 World Cup last year.
Speaking to ESPN Cricinfo, Ravi Shastri gave his views on Kohli's decision to leave the RCB captaincy and said:
"I think (giving up captaincy) could be a blessing in disguise, to be honest. The pressures of captaincy off his shoulders, the expectations that come with being captain no longer there. He can go out, express himself, play freely, and I think he'll look to do just that."
Shastri further added:
"I think the most important thing is not worry about his own performances, because he's done enough in world cricket for people to know where he stands. It's about him wanting to enjoy himself out there. I think that is the key. It's mind over matter; it's a case of telling yourself, 'I want to go there, express myself, and enjoy myself.''
The Faf du Plessis-led RCB side will kick-off their 2022 IPL campaign against the Punjab Kings on March 27 at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai.