Sachin Baby on Virat Kohli and the RCB experience
We all know Virat Kohli as a champions batsman. The cricketing world celebrates him as one of the best to ever have played the game. His adaptability to different formats, be it Test cricket, ODIs or T20s is unparalleled. Many stories have been written about his evolution from being a chubby boy from Delhi to being in the top tier of fitness among professional athletes. However, a facet of his game that does not get enough limelight is his captaincy.
Sachin Baby, the left-handed batsman from Kerala has provided a few interesting insights on Kohli the captain during the 2016 season, one in which Virat Kohli was in enviable form notching up four centuries. The southpaw who was only a season young in the IPL had been picked by the Royal Challengers Bangalore for the 2016 season, and being in a squad boasting of a plethora of batting talent, Indian and overseas, Sachin Baby was under no illusion of being a regular member of the starting eleven.
Baby highlights Kohli’s approach of observing the players’ attitude during training sessions as a key element in giving them an opportunity to play. “Our skipper Virat liked me because of my work ethic and the character that I showed during the session. He came to me and said 'be ready, you'll be getting your chances soon'. I was expecting that call and got my chance in the sixth game. I got a good hit in that game (27 off 16) and thought 'okay, things are possible for me at this level'. However, we lost the game but it was sort of a dream come true moment for me because I was playing in a side with Virat, AB (de Villiers), and Chris (Gayle).”
The first half of RCB’s 2016 campaign had passed by with only two wins on the board, and the previous three games had all ended in defeats. When the team needed a quick turnaround in fortunes, it was Virat Kohli who took up the responsibility expected of a captain. Chasing a stiff target of 192, Virat Kohli’s masterful 108 took RCB home at the Chinnaswamy. Sachin Baby, although he didn’t get a hit in the game, recounts the memory “We got that win against Rising Pune Supergiants in Pune and it was Virat who took the responsibility. We were confident that he's going to do well but what was fascinating to see is how he turned things around.”
Often when a team is going through a slump, it could become hard to keep oneself motivated, and Virat Kohli is a master of battling the inner demon. “There's so much talk outside but when you are in the dressing room you really know what's happening. Virat kept saying it's just a matter of one game and the focus was on small things that season. He had a few songs that he would keep playing in the dressing room to motivate us. All the talk from him was about qualifying even when we were losing a few games. That belief never really went down.” says Baby.
One of the most heart-rending moments of the final was one of Sachin Baby breaking down when RCB came extremely close but lost the final in 2016 in front of the loyal home crowd. “'This is a game and this happens. It's unfortunate that we lost the game but all of you need to move on from this.' That's what Virat had said in the dressing room.” remembers Sachin Baby and adds “It was quite emotional.”
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