India and Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli respects the ‘privilege’ of being able to play cricket in the middle of a raging pandemic and he wants all IPL participants to respect the tournament’s bio-secure bubble. After spending over a week now in UAE, Kohli and Royal Challengers have begun work on many fronts, including the team culture and an effort to maintain the mental wellness of their players. It is also understood that RCB are the only franchise travelling with a mental health expert.
Speaking on RCB’s Youtube show ‘Bold Diaries’, the 31-year-old reiterated the importance of respecting the norms and understanding the responsibilities of individuals. “What I said on the zoom call, I don’t think it should be pressure for anyone. The magnitude of the situation is such. We’re all here to eventually play cricket, take care of this tournament, take care of our surroundings that we’re in. The bio-bubble needs to be respected at all times for the tournament to happen,” Kohli said.
“We’re here to play. We’re not here to have fun and roam around and say I want to hang out in Dubai. That is not the time we’re living in. So we have to accept the phase that we’re going through and understand the privilege just to be a part of the IPL. Everyone should accept that and not have desires that make them behave in a manner that is not required,” Kohli added.
“Maybe because I was going on day and night for the last 10 years…It was a revelation for me in the sense that my focus was not solely on missing the game all the time,” Kohli said.
Speaking about coming back to the game after five months, Kohli said it didn’t take much time for him to find his groove. “A couple of months back you couldn’t imagine that you will have IPL firstly…
When we had our practice session yesterday, I realised how long it has been. When I was heading to the practice session, I felt nervous,” he conceded.
“I felt a bit jittery but things were okay. I didn’t miss the game as much as I though I might…just carrying on with life was also important,” he said.
