Royal Challengers Bangalore will take the field to bring joy to everyone watching this IPL amid all the tension due to the Covid-19 pandemic. To this end, playing before empty stands don’t really matter, even though it’s going to be “a strange feeling”, captain Virat Kohli stressed.
“Of course, it’s going to be a strange feeling playing in empty stadiums. But that feeling has changed somewhat after having gone through a lot of practice sessions and a couple of practice games as well.
“At the end of the day, you understand that you started playing for the love of the game. Now you have a chance to bring a lot of joy to people. All external factors then become irrelevant.
“The crowds are an amazing part of any sport, but that is not what you play for eventually,” Kohli said during a webinar on Thursday, where his teammates Parthiv Patel and Devdutt Padikkal were also present along with RCB chairman Sanjeev Churiwala.
The skipper maintained there wouldn’t be a drop in RCB’s intensity level because of empty stands. “Our intensity level or passion won’t drop just because there are no crowds. There is a larger reason as to why this is happening and we are going to stay true to that,” Kohli stated.
As a mark of respect for all those who risked their lives in this pandemic, the RCB jersey and the ones they wear during practice will have #MyCovidHeroes inscribed on them. The jerseys will also be auctioned to support Give India Foundation.
Asked about the mental state of players after having been in the bio-secure bubble for quite some time, Kohli said that acceptance is the biggest change that he has experienced in the prevailing circumstances and that has helped him and his teammates stay relaxed.
“Acceptance is the biggest change that I have experienced. Even in this bio-bubble, the first time we spoke was about being appreciative of the things that are in front of us. We have accepted that this is what we need to do. We are part of the bio-bubble and these are things we can afford to do.
“So I think all of us have become really relaxed in this environment now because of that acceptance. I haven’t seen people getting sad or upset here. Everyone has had a smile on their faces,” Kohli said.
