Faf commands respect because he's been there, done that: Kohli on rapport with new RCB skipper du Plessis

Bengaluru, March 22: 'King' Kohli joined the Royal Challengers Bangalore team on Monday ahead of the upcoming Tata IPL 2022 season.

The former captain of the Bangalore franchise, who has been with the side since its inception in 2008, was the leader of the squad for eight seasons. Veteran South Africa batsman Faf du Plessis was announced the captain for the upcoming edition.

Before his entry into the bio-bubble at the team hotel, Virat Kohli shared his first thoughts on 'RCB Bold Diaries', where he opened up about his glorious 15 years at RCB.

"Wow, 15! It's quite unbelievable the IPL has come this far. There's renewed energy because I am off a lot of responsibilities and duties. And life is in a very good place. We have a child now; we have a family. For me, it's all about just going on about life with a lot of joy and happiness and just watching our child grow.

"Just doing what I love, which is playing cricket. My focus is so clear now, and it's so precise what I want to do. I want to just have a lot of fun and enjoy myself on the field. And give myself fully to this team and to this franchise like I have over so many years and without any load. I'm absolutely ready."

Opening up about his rapport with new RCB captain du Plessis, Kohli said on RCB Bold Diaries, "I messaged him as soon as he was picked for RCB. Sounded him off a little bit about what's to come. It was obviously official after, but I knew that getting Faf at the auction for us, the plan was very clear that we need a leader in the changing room, who obviously commands a lot of respect. Doesn't demand it, he commands it because he's been there, done that.

"He's a Test captain, so, that profile comes with a lot of accolades already. We are absolutely excited for him to lead RCB this year, and I'm sure he'll do a tremendous job. We get along really well. All of us with him, myself, Maxi (Glenn Maxwell), Harshal (Patel) and Dino (Dinesh Karthik) have met him already and I think all the other guys will really enjoy this environment and team."

Kohli, who will spend the next two-odd months inside the confines of a bio-bubble, added that he does miss home being just few miles away. Throwing light on being quarantined, Kohli said, "I would have preferred not to be here (at the hotel). Because I'm in Bombay and home's literally 20 minutes from here and you can't go home, you can't do anything. But it is what it is. You just got to go through whatever shows you're left with, catch up on a couple of shows, read a book which you're still going on with and a lot of video calls at home."