IPL 2020: ‘He backed wrong players sometimes’, ex-RCB coach explains Kohli’s poor record as IPL captain

Virat Kohli is yet to lead RCB to the IPL title win.

Virat Kohli has achieved some amazing feats as captain of the Indian cricket team over the years. He led the national side to first-ever Test series victory in Australia in 2018-19. Kohli has also maintained a staggering win percentage across all formats as skipper, and is deemed as one of the most inspiring leaders across the world.

But in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Virat has not been able to lead Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to a single trophy yet despite leading the franchise since 2013.

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Explaining the reasons behind the same, former RCB coach Ray Jennings said Kohli at times backed wrong players, which may have hurt the team in previous editions.

“If I have to look back then I would say that in IPL there used to be 25-30 players (in the squad) and it was the coach’s duty to look after all the players. Sometimes he was a bit of a loner in the team. Sometimes, he backed the wrong players. But, you can’t blame him for that. I wanted certain players to bowl or bat in certain conditions/situations but he had different ideas,” Jennings, who had coached RCB between 2009 and 2014, told Cricket.com.

He also narrated how leading an IPL side could be so much different as compared to the national team.

“See, IPL is very different from international cricket. In six weeks’ time, some players can pick form and some may go awry. So, someone in the group needs to be there all the time. When I was there certain players should have played more but he has different views. However, that is in the past and it’s nice to see him maturing day by day and he will start winning IPL trophies,” he said.

“We shouldn’t forget IPL is a game of small margins. He has made it to the semi-finals (playoffs) and final and he will definitely achieve a lot more success in the coming years. Sometimes, criticism is that he doesn’t enjoy time with the players. But, I can understand that since a captain has a lot on his plate. Also, the auction is a very important factor (in the team’s performance),” he explained.

Jennings also showered rich praise on Kohli, saying the RCB captain’s best is yet to come.

“Virat Kohli has always been an unbelievable cricket brain. He sets very high standards (for himself) and we went along despite one or two problems. You needed somebody around Virat to guide him (at that point in time). Of course, he and I bumped a few times but he is a good guy and a very quick learner. Nice to see him grow as a player and now as a captain. His mannerism is great. His best is yet to come,” he remarked.