Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Virat Kohli spoke of the "amazing" team atmosphere that his players were able to create while playing the IPL 2020 in UAE despite all the challenges faced through the campaign.
In a video shared over Twitter by RCB, Kohli also offered his troops words of encouragement despite the heartbreaking exit from the tournament following a loss in the Eliminator this Friday (November 6) to Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)
"We spoke of creating memories as a team and we have done that this season. When we said this is probably the best environment we played in at RCB, damn right about it. It's been amazing," Kohli was heard saying.
"I think the camaraderie pushed deep and far into the tournament. Even during the losses, we never gave up, which I think is the most important thing. That is something we haven't done in the last 3 seasons. There is a positive already for me there that we are heading in the right direction."
"I want to thank the support staff, the coaches especially because we have created a brilliant structure. The hard work and their planning and the detail has been outstanding and we have thoroughly benefited from it."
"I know it's been tough, staying away from families, staying in a bubble. We haven't had much to do. Just each other's company, we have cherished that," the skipper added.
"The attitude has been outstanding. We can be really proud of it. Next year might be different. We might have a few more allowances, you never know. Still, if we keep looking forward to coming back together as a group, we will have one hell of a tournament next year as well."
"We can be really proud of what we have done after the last few seasons. Just hold that close to your heart and keep building from hereon as a team."
Even though their wait for an IPL title continued, RCB had a significantly improved campaign. Kohli, head coach Simon Katich and director of cricket, Mark Hesson, combined wonderfully. The team showed enhanced technical nous, apart from maintaining a level of consistency with their selection in thick and thin, something not associated with RCB in seasons before.
Backing youngsters and identifying their roles correctly, the team also had a couple of big positives which even the skipper took special note of. Young Devdutt Padikkal missed the 500-run mark for the season only by a slender margin in his very first IPL while fast bowler Mohammed Siraj, used judiciously by Kohli this year, took 11 wickets in 9 innings.
"We played some good consistent cricket and fell off at the backend. Would have loved to go even further and I know the fans really wanted us to go further."
"But some positives in the season, guys like Devdutt stepping up, having a great season with the bat. Siraj came back after a tough season last year. Yeah, there are positives, something that we can definitely take forward," Kohli signed off.
(Inputs from India Today)
