Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) star batter and former skipper Virat Kohli has faced a lot of flak for his underwhelming performances this season. The RCB legend has just 216 runs in 12 matches this season, with just a single half-century to his name as RCB looks to fight for a place in the top four for a second consecutive season.
In a recent interview with RCB insider, Kohli opened up about his form. He said, "They cannot be in my shoes. They cannot feel what I feel or live my life. They cannot live those moments. So how do you cut out the noise? You mute the TV or you don't listen or pay attention to what people are saying. I do both of these things."
One player who was a staple in the RCB lineup before calling it quits after last season was prolific wicketkeeper-batter AB de Villiers, who is also a close friend of Kohli. Sharing his thoughts on 'Mr. 360', the former India skipper said, "I miss him a lot. I speak to him regularly. He keeps messaging me... We stay in touch. He is obviously watching RCB and hopefully next season he will be here in some capacity."
Kohli bagged an unwanted record this season after he was dismissed for his third golden duck against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), meaning that he has not hit a single run against Hyderabad this season. He was dismissed by J Sucith, who became the first-ever spinner in IPL history to dismiss the league's leading run-scorer for a golden duck.
"After the second duck, I realised what it feels like to be you (referring to the interviewer Mr. Nags). Absolutely helpless. It has not happened to me ever in my career so that is why I smiled because I have seen everything now. It has been so long that I have seen everything that this game has to show me," Kohli said about his run of Ducks this season.
The 34-year-old has averaged only 19.64 runs this season, a personal low for him (besides the inaugural season where he had an average of 15, having played 13 matches that season). He has just one half-century in the season and even that was not convincing as his strike rate was below par.
