Kohli just wants to get on with business, says RCB Director

“It was an unusual few days for everybody (because of the suspension of the IPL due to Indo-Pakistan tension on the border). For me personally, there was lots to sort out and it was a busy few days,” Mo Bobat, Director of Cricket, Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Hyderabad: “It was an unusual few days for everybody (because of the suspension of the IPL due to Indo-Pakistan tension on the border). For me personally, there was lots to sort out and it was a busy few days,” Mo Bobat, Director of Cricket, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, said in an interaction on Friday.

“For many of our lads, actually, it was a well-earned rest. And, actually, we were saying even yesterday, the boys came in with a lot of energy for their practice,” Bobat said.

Reflecting on captain Rajat Patidar and Josh Hazlewood’f fitness, Bobat said probably the disruption gave Rajat a few more days just to get through some of that early healing and he had practised the last few days and he’s going well,” he said.

“And, Josh is recovering from his shoulder niggle that he had. He’s just taking that day by day and he’s trying to improve his shot,” he said.

“We’ve had a good season so far. Obviously, we’ll lose Jacob Bethel after a couple of games and we’ll lose Lungi Ngidi after a couple of games. There’s an obvious impact there,” Bobat said.

“I don’t focus on the left-right combination at the top with the bat too much. We’re quite clear on our pattern of play and the things that we want to focus on. Not a huge area of concern for me,” the RCB director said.

“Virat Kohli’s just business as usual. There’s enough of the public and nation’s attention on him, he doesn’t want any more of that. He just wants to get on with business, he is usually ambitious about what
we can achieve with RCB. That’s his focus,” he said on Kohli’s retirement from Test cricket.

“Kohli was always the batter you wanted to get out. You knew that if he was either in the pavilion to come or at the crease, you were in trouble. Some of my fondest memories of watching Test cricket involve
him,” he said.

On weather and preparations, the RCB official said they wanted the players to feel as clear and relaxed as possible. “You trust them to make decisions in the moment, regardless of what happens. We don’t
overthink any of those things,” he said.