JOIN USWashington, Siraj showing their mettle for India augurs well for RCB, feels skipper Virat Kohli
The confidence gained from their exploits for India will help youngsters like Washington Sundar and Mohammed Siraj when they represent Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, feels skipper Virat Kohli.
On the eve of their IPL-14 opener against defending champions Mumbai Indians, Kohli spoke about how his confidence after playing at the international level as a youngster rubbed off on him during the IPL, something that can also happen with Washington and Siraj, who have done well in recent Test matches. "(What) I did as a youngster was brought in that confidence of international level at the IPL. Watching Washy, (Navdeep) Saini and Siraj coming onto their own and Yuzi has been around for a while, show their personalities, it will help us pull stronger as a team, and move in the right direction," Kohli said during his interaction with RCB's media team.
What has satisfied Kohli more than anything else is the presence of young "impact players" in his team, which, in turn, is a headache for the opposition.
"Our youngsters have become more confident with more experience. Now opposition knows that these guys can make an impact in any situation as well which is obviously a great sign for us."
Just like last year in the UAE, no team will get a home advantage even in Indian conditions, which is a good thing, according to Kohli. "There's nothing quite like playing at the Chinnaswamy but the good thing is we are back in India and one more positive like last year is that there is no home advantage," he said.
"Every team is playing in neutral venues, and strength of the side comes to the fore and precisely why last IPL was so competitive. Because every team was in reckoning to qualify for play-offs, save last 3-4 games, which is great for the tournament as viewership last time went through the roof.
"Having done well last year in such a competitive scenario, I am confident we will put up a strong show this time around," he added.
He also welcomed foreign additions to the squad. "Very excited with the squad we have this year. We would like to go a couple of steps further. Great to have Maxi (Glenn Maxwell) in the set-up.
"Jhye (Richardson) has been added to the team. Dan Cristian comes back, couple of Indian guys, who have been picked are exciting, Daniel Sams has been picked up," he said.
The team composition has actually made the captain more relaxed.
"Personally, I feel relaxed with the resources we have, and the strength of our team looking forward to being in the park and leading up to IPL is full of anticipation and nerves, looking forward to that first game on the ground as a team."
AB de Villiers, a bonafide RCB legend, is happy that the coaching staff is speaking the same language, which creates less confusion and gives more freedom. "One thing that stands out for me is the language that coaches are using. Excited that we have got the same mould like last year, some new faces, yes but the same language used which gives us players, freedom and comfort while focussing on our games and making sure what we need to do," De Villiers said.
On a lighter note, he said that before he hangs his boot he would like to see crowds back in the stadium.