Walking into the Indian Premier League dressing room in first season was a fantasy, says Virat Kohli

Reflecting on his initial years with RCB, Kohli spoke about how his career trajectory shifted once he found consistency and a fixed position in the batting order

HYDERABAD: Walking into the dressing room with legends like Anil Kumble, Rahul Dravidwhen I played the IPL for the first time was like a fantasy, says Virat Kohli of Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

During the show ‘18 Calling 18’ on JioHotstar, Vihrat recalled the awe and pressure of sharing the dressing room with some of India’s greatest cricketers:

---

“But with that excitement came pressure. I knew my game wasn’t quite at that level yet, and I had to prove myself. That pressure eventually caught up with me in the first season. Still, the experience was unforgettable,” Virat said.

Reflecting on his initial years with RCB, Kohli spoke about how his career trajectory shifted once he found consistency and a fixed position in the batting order.

“In my first three years with RCB, I didn’t get many opportunities to bat in the top order. I was usually sent lower down. So, I wasn’t really able to crack the IPL in a big way early on, apart from the occasional impactful knock,” Virat went down memory lane.

“But the 2009 season felt a bit better for me. The pitches that year suited my game—the ball was coming onto the bat nicely, and I could play my shots more freely,” he said.

“It was definitely an interesting phase in my career. From 2010 onwards, I started performing more consistently, and by 2011, I was regularly batting at number three. That’s when my IPL journey really began to take shape,” Virat said.

“If you look at how things panned out even recently, in one of the Champions Trophy games, Shreyas (Iyer) took charge. It was never about ego. At that time, if I was in rhythm, in the flow of the game, I naturally took the initiative,” Virat said.

“If someone else was better placed to take the lead, they would do it. It was never about trying to overshadow anyone or suddenly feeling like I don’t have the ability,” he said.

Kohli also emphasised how the TATA IPL’s format and dynamic structure have influenced his T20 game.

“The IPL challenges you in a very unique way because of how the tournament is structured. It’s not like a short bilateral series, it spans several weeks, and your position on the points table keeps shifting,” Virat said.

“The dynamic nature of the tournament pushes you mentally and competitively in various ways other formats don’t. It’s also driven me to constantly improve and evolve my T20 skill set,” he concluded.