Gavaskar consoles Virat Kohli; cites Tendulkar & Bradman as RCB skipper's IPL chance ends

The Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on Monday defeated the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and eliminated the Virat Kohli-led squad from the IPL 2021. RCB's defeat against KKR meant that Virat Kohli's last game as the skipper of the 'Men in Red' ended in a loss and the dream of millions of fans to see the cricketer winning an IPL trophy also ended. Now, Team India's former cricketer and analyst Sunil Gavaskar during the conversation with the broadcasters on Star Sports expressed his sadness and also pointed the 'misfortune' of cricket greats like Sir Don Bradman and Sachin Tendulkar. 

Reacting to Virat Kohli-led squad's defeat in the Eliminator, Gavaskar said that everyone wanted to see Virat Kohli finish on a high note, however, not everyone has good fortune. Gavaskar further outlined Sir Don Bradman was dismissed on 0 in his final Test. Bradman required just four runs in his last innings to finish with a batting average of 100 but eventually ended with 99.94. The former Indian opener also cited the example of Sachin Tendulkar's farewell match in which the fans wanted him to score a hundred but he was dismissed on 74 runs. 

"Everyone wants to finish on a high. See what happened with Sir Don Bradman, look what happened to Sachin Tendulkar in his last match. Not everyone has a great fortune," said Gavaskar adding that Virat Kohli needs to be praised for his loyalty with the Royal Challengers Bangalore. 

Virat Kohli announces that he will play for RCB as a player in IPL 2022

After the completion of the RCB vs KKR match, Virat Kohli during the post-match presentation announced that he will continue to play for the 'Men in Red' as a player. At the start of the IPL 2021 second leg, Virat Kohli had announced that he will step down as RCB captain after the tournament. 

"I have tried to create a culture where youngsters can come in and play expressive cricket. I have given my best and I don't know how the response is to that. I have given 120% to the team and I will continue to do so for the team. It is time to regroup, restructure and bring in players who can take this franchise to the next level. I don't see myself playing anywhere else. For me, loyalty matters a lot more than some other things and I will represent this franchise till the last day of the IPL," said Kohli during the post-match presentation. 

Meanwhile, the Kolkata Knight Riders will take on the Delhi Capitals on October 13 in qualifier 2 at Sharjah Cricket Stadium. The winner of qualifier 2 will then play against CSK in the IPL 2021 final on October 15. 

(Image: iplt20.com/PTI)