IPL 2021: Virat Kohli in fine touch, tempo at top will be crucial, says RCB’s Mike Hesson

RCB captain Virat Kohli will be opening the batting for his franchise in IPL 2021. (Photo: BCCI/IPL)

The Director of Cricket for Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise, Mike Hesson, on Wednesday (March 31) confirmed that skipper Virat Kohli will bat at the top of the order in the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021. Indian captain Kohli put up a batting masterclass in the T20 series decider against England came when he decided to open the batting in the fifth T20I along with Rohit Sharma.  

Kohli hammered 80 off 52 balls to steer India to 224/2 in the allotted 20 overs. After the win, Kohli had said he is going to open in IPL and Hesson confirmed that the RCB skipper will bat at the top of the order. 

“Look for me, form is important. More importantly, it’s about the confidence that they bring in. Some players need performance to get that confidence. Some don’t. Virat is so experienced with RCB. He is going to bat at the top of the order. It’s a position that he knows well,” Hesson said in a virtual press conference. 

“He is in fine touch at the moment. His tempo is really pleasing. I thought the way he played against England in those T20Is just showed that his tempo is really good and he can control the innings. That’s something that we have seen, on his day when he does that for RCB, we know we are going to get an above-par score,” he further said. 

Kohli notched up 466 runs in 15 games as RCB reached the IPL 2020 Playoffs. The RCB skipper had a strike-rate of 121.35 with three fifties. 

“I know Virat will turn up confident. He is hugely passionate about playing for RCB. I can’t wait to have him on board. And we can’t wait for our first game,” Hesson added. 

Kohli will be joining the RCB camp on April 1 in Chennai. Kohli has already begun his preparation for the T20 league. The RCB skipper on Monday shared a glimpse from his workout routine. RCB is set to play the IPL 2021 opener against Mumbai Indians on April 9 in Chennai.

(with ANI inputs)