'We are all here to play cricket'- Virat Kohli asks players to respect bio-secure bubble for smooth conduct of IPL

Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli, along with teammates, is finally back in action on the fields after 5 long months. After finishing the mandatory quarantine period, RCB have finally hit the outdoor training sessions to gear up for the upcoming mega T20 event. Amid this, Kohli has been emphasising on the ‘privilege’ to play cricket despite the ongoing deadly pandemic in the world.

In the same manner, he wants all the IPL participants to abide by the rules and regulations of the bio-secure bubble well. The Indian skipper highlighted the fact that he didn’t really miss the game maybe, because he was going on day and night in the last 10 years. This leisure period gave him the time to get back his focus and realise that his mind was not solely on missing the game.

The 31-year-old stated that BCCI’s protocols should be respected in all the ways and should be non-negotiable for all the participants. Speaking on RCB’s YouTube show ‘Bold Diaries;, Kohli stated, “We are all here to play cricket…The bio-bubble needs to be respected at all times for the tournament to happen eventually. We are not here to have fun and roam around, and you know say that ‘I want to hang out in Dubai.”

Understand the privilege of playing cricket in these times: Virat Kohli

“That is not the time we are living in. Accept the phase that we are going through and understand the privilege that we have, just to be a part of the IPL. Everyone should accept that and not behave in a manner which situation doesn’t require them to,” he added.

Speaking further on how much he found it difficult to get back to the form, the ace batsman replied that it didn’t take much time to achieve the desired level. He said he felt a bit nervous at first, but things went fine down the line.

“A couple of months back, you couldn’t imagine that you will have IPL firstly… When we had our practice session yesterday, I realised how long it has been. When I was heading to the practice session, I felt nervous.

“I felt a bit jittery, but things were okay. I didn’t miss the game as much as I thought I might…just carrying on with life was also important,” Kohli concluded.

Here’s the video

Up close and personal with Virat Kohli who talks about getting back on the cricket field after a long break, the feeling of welcoming a third member to his clan and much more! 🤩#PlayBold #IPL2020 #WeAreChallengershttps://t.co/mdWo6rbdh8

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) September 1, 2020