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Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) director of cricket Mo Bobat has made it clear that Virat Kohli prefers not to have excessive attention focused on his recent retirement from Test cricket and is keen to concentrate on his commitments in the IPL 2025 season. Kohli's shock announcement on May 12 brought an end to his distinguished career in the longest format of the game.
Mo Bobat on Virat Kohli's Test retirement
The upcoming match on May 17 against the Kolkata Knight Riders will mark Kohli's first appearance on the field since his Test retirement, and there is already considerable anticipation surrounding his return. Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Mo Bobat conveyed that for Virat Kohli, it is simply business as usual. The RCB director emphasized Kohli's ambition regarding what the team can accomplish this season. Bobat also acknowledged Kohli's remarkable achievements in Test cricket for India, stating that he has every reason to be proud of his contributions in the whites.
"First thing to say is, Virat Kohli’s just business as usual. There’s enough of the public and nation’s attention on him, he doesn’t want any more of that. He just wants to get on with business, he is usually ambitious about what we can achieve with RCB. That’s his focus," Mo Bobat said in the pre-match press conference.
"I would like to say though that he should be incredibly proud of what he's done as a Test player for India. RCB as a franchise, we are all incredibly proud of what every one of our players does in an India shirt, but in particular him. To play 120 plus test matches and to score nearly 10,000 runs is no mean feat. "Also, as a captain, his record, 60% win percentage or something like that as captain, again, no mean feat. I can also talk from my previous role as an Englishman working in the English system. He was someone you never wanted to play against," he added.
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Reflecting on his time working with the England cricket team prior to joining RCB, Mo Bobat highlighted Virat Kohli as the key batsman the opposition always aimed to dismiss in Test matches. The RCB director specifically recalled the intense and captivating battle between Kohli and veteran English bowler James Anderson during the 2018 Test series in Edgbaston, emphasizing the significance of Kohli's wicket.
"He was always the batter you wanted to get out. You knew that if he was either in the pavilion to come or at the crease, you were in trouble. Some of my fondest memories of watching Test cricket involve him. I'll never forget the 2018 India series in England. The Test at Edgbaston, watching James Anderson and him do battle like two gladiators. I think James Anderson must have bowled nine overs on the trot at him. It was two of the best players in the world doing their thing. That's what he's about. He's about those special moments, those inspiring moments," Bobat further stated.
"He did that as captain, as a player. We're all really proud of him. I'm sure the fans will show him lots of love this week when they see him again. But just to go back to where I started, he's business as usual. We all are. He's spoken to a few of us about things in the last few weeks, but you know what he's like. He's pretty clear-minded, so he's clear on what he wants to do," he signed off.
Kohli is currently the leading scorer in the IPL 2025 as he has amassed 505 runs in a total of 11 matches riding on seven fifties. RCB are strongly placed second in the IPL 2025 standings, having accumulated 16 points from their 11 matches, securing eight wins. They now require just one more win to guarantee their spot in the playoffs.
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