"If you cannot be the best version of yourself, responsibility means nothing" - Virat Kohli on captaincy 

Former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Virat Kohli has opened up in detail on his decision to quit the captaincy of the franchise after the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 edition. The 33-year-old admitted that the leadership role was affecting his batting and hence he felt that it was better to step away.

Ahead of the UAE leg of IPL 2021, Kohli confirmed that he would be stepping down as RCB skipper at the end of the season.

Explaining his decision in an interview uploaded on the franchise’s official YouTube channel, the star batter said:

“When you take a decision like this, a lot of people go like - one should look at things from a point of view of responsibility. People don’t understand that if you as a player cannot be the best version of yourself on the field, then that responsibility, for me personally as a player, means nothing. You can still be a leader within the team and drive the team forward towards success and winning trophies and titles.”

Stating that he takes a lot of pride in contributing to the team, Kohli elaborated:

“If something I feel is pushing that joy down and that fun factor of looking forward to play cricket and doing something special on the field… If anything is coming in between that, and having the knowledge that you do have able minds to be able to take the team forward, then I think it is a wise decision for anyone to create some space for themselves.”

RCB will be led by veteran South African batter Faf du Plessis during IPL 2022. He was picked by the franchise at the auction for ₹7 crore and subsequently named captain.

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"Feel that joy of coming in and hitting the ball again” - Virat Kohli

Having given up the captaincy, the 33-year-old has asserted that he is feeling the pure joy of batting again. Stating that for him to enjoy the game is very important, the former India skipper added:

“Somewhere, not that you don’t focus on it, when you have other responsibilities, that (batting) tends to kind of take a backseat. Over a period of time, when you do it over and over again, and your mind is only running in one direction, then you can tend to lose that joy to come and practice. For me, that’s always been the essence of playing cricket. I always wanted it to be alive within me. I certainly feel that joy of just purely coming in and hitting the ball again.”

Kohli is the leading run-getter in the IPL, having amassed 6283 runs in 207 matches at an average of 37.40 and a strike rate of 129.95.