AB de Villiers, the South African batting legend, thinks Virat Kohli should just keep it simple this season. He should focus on being a smart player and controlling the game. RCB has got a ton of batting power, and with Phil Salt in the mix, Kohli won’t feel as much pressure.
Even though Kohli is always a reliable scorer for RCB, people have been talking about his scoring rate the last couple of years. But now, RCB has picked up some big hitters like Salt, Liam Livingstone, Tim David and Romario Shepherd. They aren’t afraid to go after the bowling — de Villiers believes Kohli can relax and play more freely.
Virat looks like he’s enjoying himself out there. And I don’t think he’ll need to increase how quickly he scores when he’s batting with Phil Salt, de Villiers said.
Salt is one of the most aggressive cricket players ever. He will take a lot of burden off Virat. Virat just needs to keep doing what he always does best: manage the game and play smart. He just knows when to step on the gas and when to hold back.
De Villiers, who spent 11 seasons playing for RCB, said Kohli needs to make sure the team doesn’t have any batting collapses. A collapse is when many batsmen get out in quick succession. It can take the momentum away from the other team and make it easier to win.
Virat needs to be like the captain of the batting lineup this tournament. Just keep things calm, play it smart, and make sure the batting order doesn’t fall apart.
The former South Africa captain also feels that Kohli has been criticized unfairly the last few seasons. It hurts his psyche a little. The criticisms are just from outside sources, though.
I’m sure some of the things people have said have gotten to him a bit. He’s only human, so he probably has some doubts in his head, de Villiers added.
But the great thing about Virat is that when it really counts, when he’s playing for his team, he can block everything else out and go into business mode.
With Faf du Plessis stepping down, Rajat Patidar is the new captain of RCB starting this season.
De Villiers says Patidar’s biggest worry will be doubting himself when stepping into the role formerly occupied by captains like du Plessis and Kohli.
His biggest task will be to keep his belief in himself as he steps into those leadership shoes of the previous leadership figures. With Kohli around, he may constantly doubt himself, de Villiers said.
“He needs to stay true to what he is. He shouldn’t try to captain like Virat or Faf. He should rely on the experience of Virat, Andy Flower, and some of the other players in the group.
RCB is going to be traveling a lot this season, going back and forth between home and away games. It may be tough on their energy.
Their schedule is going to be a pretty big problem. The team is balanced, which is good for them, but they’re hopping all over the place. They actually have a very hard schedule of all the competitors.
Despite the scheduling issues, de Villiers thinks RCB has a strong, well-rounded team.
Really, they just need a really good spinner. Krunal Pandya is a wonderful spinner, though. He can bat a bit too, like we’ve seen over the years.
I mean, just look at that batting lineup. It’s all power. There’s a good mix of power, but also someone who can control the process.
