IPL 2021: Virat Kohli desperate to excel, says RCB head coach Mike Hesson

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) head coach Mike Hesson believes that skipper Virat Kohli is desperate to make his presence felt in the ongoing 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Kohli was dismissed cheaply in the Bangalore-based franchise’s last defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He further struggled to make much of an impact in the recently concluded Test series in England. RCB will look to get back to winning ways when they lock horns against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

“Virat is obviously desperate to do well”

“Look, there are some times when our batsmen look to do that to get some extra opportunity. Virat is obviously desperate to do well, he likes one-on-one sessions to get his confidence and basically find his rhythm. It definitely looks like he has found it,” said Hesson as quoted by India Today while interacting on RCB’s official YouTube channel.

Kohli recently announced his decision to vacate his current role as the Bangalore-based franchise’s skipper, following the conclusion of the 2021 edition.

“I think it was actually to get any form of distraction out early. We talked about making that announcement as soon as possible really, all the players were aware of it. It has not impacted our performance against KKR. We were not sharp with the bat, we lost wickets. But I am confident that this group will turn around pretty quickly,” said Hesson during a virtual post-match press conference after the defeat against KKR.

Kohli expresses desire to bounce back as soon as possible

Kohli expressed a strong desire to get back to winning ways, following the humiliating loss against KKR. He further had words of praise for Varun Chakravarthy, who is a part of the Indian squad for the upcoming edition of the T20 World Cup.

“It was important to get a good partnership on this surface. We honestly didn’t expect that much dew to kick in so early, we couldn’t have predicted that. It looked like a good wicket to bat on first up. We were 42-odd for one and then lost about five wickets within 20 runs from there, which is a very difficult situation to come back from. Bit of a collapse there for us, bit of a wake-up call and might as well have this at the start of the second leg so that we know exactly what we need to work on,” he stated as quoted by Cricbuzz.

“As professional cricketers, you are expected to turn up and adjust to the formats, that’s the dynamic of world cricket today. We have never found any troubles doing that but sometimes it can take you a game to get into the tournament. You have to stay with the 8-ball, especially in this format. If not, then the other team is going to be all over you. You can’t afford to lose four or five wickets within 20 runs,” added Kohli.

The RCB skipper stated that he was supremely confident about his squad, backing them to deliver strong performances.

“Pretty good, that’s exactly what I was saying in the dug-out, he’s (on Varun Chakravarthy) going to be a key factor when he plays for India. We need to see performances like these from all the youngsters so that the bench strength of Indian cricket stays strong. And, he’s someone who is going to play in the near future for India and it’s a great sign. We have five wins from eight games, we expect a loss here and there in this tournament,” said Kohli.

“That’s part and parcel of things. You have to take it in your stride like you take your victories in your strides as well. We just need to be professional and stick to our strengths and make sure that we execute the plans that we have properly on the field. We have absolute confidence on this squad that we’ll be able to pull up from the next game onwards and put in strong performances,” he concluded.