Virat Kohli shares unpleasant memory with RCB in his first year in IPL
Virat Kohli and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) may have come to be known as synonyms now. But things haven’t always been hunky-dory between the mighty cricketer and his immensely popular Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise.
Kohli shared an interesting anecdote, including an unpleasant incident with the franchise, where he felt he is being mistreated in his first year as an IPL cricketer back in 2008.
Speaking on the RCB podcast, the ex-skipper of the franchise revealed that he was once sent to the airport via an ‘Omni Van’ while other players were made to travel in decent cars.
Virat Kohli has been associated with RCB since the inception of IPL back in 2008.
Virat Kohli recalls being treated indifferently in IPL 2008
“After the season, because I was an Under-19 boy, I was sent to the airport in an Omni van. Everyone else was getting a decent car to go, and I was the only one that was left, and they probably would have said just give him anything and just get him to the airport,” Virat Kohli said.
“And that was not a good car, I’m sorry to say, but I would have loved at least a decent car which was not broken, something through which I could see the road, this one was on its last leg. So, not a good memory,” he added.
Bought by RCB for USD 30,000 for the inaugural edition of the IPL after impressing one and all with his ability and promise at the U-19 World Cup 2008 in Malaysia, Kohli entered the biggest T20 league in a team filled with superstars and legends.
The RCB batting unit alone had names such as Rahul Dravid and Jacques Kallis. Virat Kohli remembers meeting those legends for the first time in the RCB dressing room, an experience that he says left him awestruck for a while as a 19-year-old.
“It was an amazing atmosphere; there was a proper ramp and who’s who of Bangalore and all. Everyone was excited to see the players. I remember walking into the room and meeting Zak and PK and these guys at the formal team launch, and it was just surreal.”
“I was just sitting there, and I felt so timid; I was actually taken aback by the fact that I was in the same room with these guys; they made me feel comfortable very quickly. From there on, our friendship and camaraderie grew,” Kohli added.