NEWS
Follow UsVirat Kohli said that he is proud of the environment created for youngsters to blossom at Royal Challengers Bangalore under his captaincy, as he took his bow as the side's skipper after ten years. It was a bitter end to Kohli's stint as the captain of RCB after they lost the eliminator to Kolkata Knight Riders by four wickets on Monday.
"I've tried my best to create a culture where youngsters could come and play expressive cricket. It's something I've tried to do in the India level as well. All I can say is that I have given my best," he said in the post-match presentation.
Kohli reiterated that will play for RCB until his final IPL game and will continue to give his '120 per cent' for the franchise as a player.
"I have given my 120% to this franchise and will continue giving it as a player on the field. Its a great time to regroup and restructure the franchise for the next three years. I will definitely (play for RCB). For me loyalty matters and my commitment is with this franchise till the last day I play IPL," Kohli said, as he reflected on his time as the captain.
Speaking about the match, Kohli felt that his team were undone during the middle overs as they reached 138/7 in 20 overs.
"Their spinners dominated the game in the middle overs. They kept taking wickets there. We had a great start and probably should've tried to build on. It was more about quality bowling instead of poor batting," he said.
Kohli, who succeeded Anil Kumble as the captain in 2011, led RCB in 140 games and won 66 games and lost 70.
The 32-year old praised KKR's spin trident of Varun Chakravarthy, Sunil Narine and Shakib al Hasan who slowed down RCB's momentum.
"(Narine) Always been a quality bowler and tonight once again showed why he is the most consistent wicket takers in the IPL. Not just him, Shakib, Varun and him all three bowled amazingly together. They created pressure together for our batters to not get their big shots," Kohli said.
RCB took the game till the last over with the likes of Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal and Mohammad Siraj claiming two wickets each. With seven runs needed off the final over, Shakib hit a boundary off the first ball as he and captain Eoin Morgan finished things with singles. Kohli hailed his bowling unit for their performances through out the season.
"Outstanding. Been the hallmark this season. But tonight that big over in the middle deflated our chances in the middle. We fought till the last," he said.