"I told them very clearly there's only one condition that I will bat at No.3" - Virat Kohli on being the sole RCB player to be retained in 2011
Former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Virat Kohli recalled his discussion with the management after becoming the only player to be retained before the 2011 auction. RCB only opted to retain Kohli despite having the option to retain up to four players.
In the first three seasons of the IPL, RCB qualified for the knockouts twice, nearly claiming the title in 2009. The franchise opted to build the team around the rising Kohli for the next few editions.
Remember 2011 when Virat Kohli was the most surprising retention? #IPLRetention #RCB
The 33-year-old talked about how he asked to be made the No.3 batter in the team after batting low down at No.5 in the first few IPL seasons. While speaking on the RCB podcast, Kohli said:
"I felt great; I did not shy away from it. I remember we were playing the Champions League in South Africa and Ray Jennings and Siddharth Mallya approached me, said that they were looking to retain only me, and that they were looking to build a whole new squad around me."
"I said that's great, and that's the opportunity I am looking for. I told them very clearly there's only one condition that I will bat at No.3 and nowhere else. They said fair enough. I knew I can do something special for the team. I had no problem accepting the responsibility."
RCB acquired the likes of AB de Villiers, Daniel Vettori, Tillakaratne Dilshan and Zaheer Khan in the auction. Moreover, in a move that would reap them rich dividends for years to come, the franchise roped in Chris Gayle as a replacement for the injured Dirk Nannes.
"I was playing No.3 for India, and I was not getting to do it for RCB" - Virat Kohli
The 33-year-old spoke about his struggles in the initial seasons of the IPL. In the first three seasons of the competition, playing mostly at No.5 and No.6, Kohli scored only 718 runs at an average of 21.76.
Playing so deep in the middle order did not come naturally to him. However, he had no other option, as there were experienced players for the No.3 spot like Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis and Ross Taylor.
Speaking on the frustration of not being able to play in the No.3 position despite having cemented the same spot in the Indian team, Kohli said:
"The first three years in the IPL, I always had the belief that I could do something special. I felt like the composition of the team, while they were amazing players, and rightly so in the right positions, I was not able to play in the position that was my strength."
"For the first 3 years, it was on and off, a performance here and a performance there. It was not as free-flowing and consistent as I would have liked it to be. I was playing No.3 for India, and I was not getting to do it for RCB in the IPL. It was a bit of a strange situation for me, because I felt like I could replicate my India performances here and maybe better."
In first 3 Seasons of IPL (2008-10),
No. Of innings played by Virat Kohli at different batting position
04 - Opening
03 - No. 3
06 - No. 4
08 - No. 5
13 - No. 6
04 -No. 7
25 Out of 38 times, he batted at No.5-7
That's nearly 2/3rd of total no. of innings
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The ace batter would eventually get his beloved No.3 spot, and make the most of it. He would subsequently move up to the top of the order for the sake of the team's balance.