Dream of scoring the winning hit, evolution, self-improvement with time: Virat Kohli speaks after RCB seals back-to-back IPL titles

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], June 1 : Following his side's back-to-back Indian Premier League (IPL) title win, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star batter Virat Kohli said that "it was a daydream for us" and underlined the "demands of today's modern game".
Virat's chase-masterclass and excellent bowling performances from the pace trio of Rasikh Dar Salam, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood helped RCB seal back-to-back IPL titles after waiting for a trophy for 17 seasons. The 37-year-old was once again in the thick of action, scoring a magnificent 75* in 42 balls, with nine fours and three sixes as wickets fell from the other end in a tense chase of 156 runs.
Speaking after the match, Virat, who slammed his fastest IPL fifty ever in just 25 balls, said, "It is the stuff that you dream of. I have thought of this moment many times, that, you know, once when we win the IPL, I should be standing there hitting the winning runs, and tonight it was possible. So yeah, just a dream day for us. And as I mentioned straight after the game as well, we just felt really relaxed coming to the game today and really confident about how we wanted to go about our game and what kind of team we have. And that gives you confidence to just, you know, see any kind of situation through. But yeah, in a chase, I felt really comfortable out there knowing exactly what to do."
On getting his fastest IPL fifty of the career, Virat said that it was "just a case of the demands of today's modern game where you need to get extra runs"
Despite having made it four back-to-back 600+ run IPL seasons, Virat highlighted how he needed to "change his mindset" and take on the best bowlers more fearlessly.
"Such is the demand of the sport today. I mean, you have these, you know, super young players pushing you all the time and really asking you to change your game and up the ante. And it's an exciting situation because it gives you something to improve on, something to work towards. And yeah, I just take a lot of pride in getting better and just trying to figure out areas where I can improve. So yeah, it was just a case of the demands of today's modern game where you need to get those 20, 30 extra runs. And I had to kind of change my mindset, not my game so much to hit the shots I hit, but more often and take the bowlers on, probably the best bowlers in the opposition. That was always my target. So very happy I was able to contribute towards the team cause," he added.
Virat highlighted the importance of "big boys to step up", especially in the "big situations", and noted the presence of experienced players in the team.
"We are going to be respectful of all the other teams. We do not poke any other team, you know. We're very happy to carry on playing professional cricket. We have a lot of mature players in the group, a lot of experienced guys, and the experience always shines through in difficult situations. You can have all the excitement and slam-bang in the world, but come the big situations, you need the big boys to step up. And that is exactly what we did," added Virat, highlighting the need for calculated, measured risk-taking in the age of what seems to be an endless six-hitting.
"Absolutely. I mean, even tonight, I know it is a chase, and they probably look to get me out early, but I was very confident that even if I get out early, we have a champion team that is going to finish the job, you know, three or four overs to go. So when you have that kind of confidence, you can go out there and really take the bowlers on," he added.
He credited the management of head coach Andy Flower, batting coach Dinesh Karthik and the Director of Cricket Mo Bobat for the way they stacked up the team, the players for showcasing their talent and belief.
"That is exactly what Mo Bobat said when we won last year, that it's not the end of the road. We are going to look to go back-to-back. And that's exactly what we ended up achieving. So we are really proud of ourselves as a team," he added.
Virat also credited Venkatesh Iyer for his knock and overall contribution in the season, saying that his attacking intent was the "difference maker" in the past three or four games. He also highlighted his conversations with him before the chase to "kill the game in the power play".
On the love from RCB's legion of fans, Virat said, "We probably have 14 because everywhere we go, we have fans cheering the team and, you know, really getting behind us. I mean, GT is probably the home side, but you see 90 per cent of the guys are RCB fans. So that is what we have earned over the years and we just continue to make them proud and try to put our best foot forward. And yeah, their support is priceless and really happy that they can celebrate us lifting the trophy tonight and witness that," he signed off.
Virat ended the tournament as the fourth-highest run-getter with 675 runs in 16 innings at an average of 56.25 and a strike rate of 165.84, with a century and five fifties and a best score of 105*.
Put to bat first by RCB, GT scored just 155/8 in 20 overs, with Washington Sundar (50* in 37 balls, with five fours) and Nishant Sindhu (20 in 18 balls, with three fours) being the only one to cross the 20-run mark. Rasikh Dar Salam (3/27), Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2/29) and Josh Hazlewood (2/37) took wickets regularly.
RCB started off well with a 62-run stand between Venkatesh Iyer (32 in 16 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) and Virat Kohli. GT showed some fight, reducing RCB to 132/5 at one point, but Virat (75* in 42 balls, with nine fours and three sixes) guided RCB to a win with two overs left.
This is RCB's second IPL title win and overall their fourth Indian franchise cricket trophy, including two Women's Premier League (WPL) titles.