‘Virat, I know you’re getting a lot of attention’: Kohli calls RCB dressing room ‘heartbeat’ after IPL title

NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli once again proved why he is one of cricket’s greatest match winners as he scored an unbeaten 75 as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated Gujarat Titans by five wickets in the IPL final in Ahmedabad. Chasing 156, Kohli led the team home and finished the season with 675 runs. In a video tribute to the veteran batsman, head coach Andy Flower praised the veteran batsman, saying: “Virat, I know you get a lot of attention and rightly so. But I don’t want to downplay it because you are the heart of this dressing room.”Kohli gave RCB a strong start with a 62-run opening partnership alongside Venkatesh Iyer and later dominated the chase. He soon attacked fast bowler Kagiso Rabada as he hit two fours and a six to put Gujarat under pressure. Watch the video here: Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar praised Kohli’s ability to shine in big matches, saying, “He relishes these situations, looks forward to these situations where he can show how good a player he is. The character he has, the winning mind he has.”RCB’s success this season has continued the momentum of their maiden IPL title last year. The team topped the league table and comfortably reached the final. Kohli’s popularity was evident as a large section of the crowd wore his famous number 18 jersey. After being named man of the match, Kohli said: “I always say we don’t have seven home games, we probably have 14.” He added: “I mean GT are probably home but you see 90 per cent of the guys are RCB fans. Their support is priceless.”Despite winning the title, RCB chose not to hold a public homecoming celebration. Last year’s victory parade ended in tragedy when a stampede outside the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium claimed 11 lives. Remembering these fans, captain Rajat Patidar said, “Of course you feel bad – you lost your fans after winning the match. Not just fans, they are family members. I always want to dedicate this trophy to them. I have no words to express the feeling.”