Indian cricket star Virat Kohli gave a pep talk to the Royal Challengers Bangalore women’s side after a disastrous start to the Women’s Premier League (WPL) season. RCB lost their first five matches in the competition before winning their first against UP Warriorz. Kohli was recorded talking about his personal troubles in the Indian Premier League as a member of the squad in a video posted by the franchise on social media. “I’ve been in the IPL for 15 years. And I still haven’t won it. Yet it doesn’t stop me from looking forward to it every year. That’s all I can provide. “That’s the amount of work I can put into every game and tournament I play,” he remarked.
Virat Kohli’s pep talk to the RCB Women’s Team
King came. He spoke. He inspired. He’d be proud watching the girls play the way they did last night. Watch @imVkohli's pre-match chat in the team room on Bold Diaries.#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB #WPL2023 pic.twitter.com/fz1rxZnID2
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) March 16, 2023
“If we win, great. If we don’t, then I am not going to go to my grave thinking that if only I had won an IPL, I would be a happy man. It doesn’t happen like that. So always think about the opportunity that you have rather than how bad it is right now. There is always a flip side to it, and it could always be worse than this. And the fact that we haven’t won the IPL, but I still feel that we have the best fans in the world. Only because we were always committed to every game that we played for RCB. That has been the most special thing for our fans. There’s no guarantee of giving you a cup every year, but there’s a guarantee of giving your 110% every year, and that’s all you can strive to do,” Kohli told the team in the video.
Kanika Ahuja, an allrounder, claimed the conversation with Kohli warmed her up as she hit a quick 46 to help Royal Challengers Bangalore finally stop their losing skid.
When RCB chased down a difficult 136 to earn a five-wicket win against UP Warriorz on Wednesday, the 20-year-old from Punjab hit 46 off 30 balls, the highest score by an uncapped player in the WPL thus far.
“Virat sir told us there is nothing about pressure here, it is all about the pleasure,” Ahuja told media during the first press conference of her career.
On Wednesday, Kohli did not attend the Indian team’s optional training session, instead meeting with the RCB side, which is participating in the WPL here in Mumbai.
“He told us to not put ourselves in pressure when we are out there in the middle. He said it is a matter of pleasure that we are getting to play here, not everyone gets the similar opportunity,” said Ahuja, who wants to bat 360 degrees like Suryakumar Yadav.
As the RCB team was down to 60 for 4, its star players Smriti Mandhana, Sophie Devine, and Ellyse Perry returned to the pavilion, leaving them in the same rut.
After Richa Ghosh (31) and Ahuja (31) added 60 runs for the fifth wicket, Ahuja grabbed control of the game and pounded down eight fours and a six, leading her team to its first victory in six games.
“The thing I had in my mind was that come whatever may, we have to win. The target was also low, hence there was time for us to take our time and play accordingly. We waited for loose balls to capitalise,” she said.
