Virat Kohli may no longer lead India or the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL), but his impact on both teams has been enormous.
As a captain, Kohli may not have won a major tournament with the Indian team or the Royal Challengers Bangalore, but he has been instrumental in grooming young, fresh, and talented players who have played with him.
Kohli has been at the forefront of RCB's comeback in recent seasons. Instead of finishing in the bottom half of the IPL points table, Kohli introduced a new blueprint in the 2020 and 2021 editions, which helped RCB qualify for the playoffs in back-to-back seasons.
RCB turned things around in style with the addition of Glenn Maxwell and a few more intriguing choices, as the superstar combo of Kohli, Maxwell, and AB de Villiers came to the fore to win matches for the team.
Apart from the three, Harshal Patel was another name who played a huge role in the resurgence of the RCB team. Harshal got transferred to Delhi Capitals after six seasons with the RCB, but three years later, he returned to Bengaluru for the IPL 2021 season and hasn't looked back.
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Harshal earned the Purple Cap for most wickets, with 32 scalps in the IPL 2021, tying the record of legend Dwayne Bravo for the most wickets in a single IPL season. Harshal shared Kohli's first remarks to him when he initially joined RCB ahead of the IPL 2021 season.
"I looked at it as a great opportunity. Every time something like this happens, there's uncertainty. You can hope for the best and see how you can contribute best. The moment I was traded, Virat messaged me saying, "You're going to play all the games." That gave me a lot of confidence - that here's a captain who is giving you that assurance. I had enough confidence that if I got opportunities, I'd make the most of it," Harshal told ESPNCricinfo.
"I always believe whatever happens in the IPL, whether someone retains you or lets you go, you shouldn't take it personally. Those decisions aren't taken based on whether they like you as a person or not. It's all about how you can contribute in that set-up, and if they felt you can't contribute the way they want you to, then you're not valuable to them anymore and you're being traded to a team that has asked for you and has a role for you."
Harshal, like every other RCB player, admits he learned a lot from watching Kohli and AB de Villiers bat. He said that he is more of a silent observer than an outspoken one.
"I've been a silent observer of them. I don't believe in asking a lot of questions, just seeing them closely, what their routines are, what their body language is under pressure, how they carry themselves when they do well, how they carry themselves when they don't do well. These are the things I learned from my first big stint with RCB."
