IPL 2021: 'Virat Kohli desperate to do well,' says RCB head coach Mike Hesson

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s head coach Mike Hesson said that RCB skipper Virat Kohli has found his mojo and is itching to perform well in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League in the United Arab Emirates. The 32-year-old Kohli hasn’t had the best of IPL seasons in 2021 as he is 17th on the list of leading run-scorers in the tournament.

In eight games, the right-hander has managed 203 runs at an average of 29 and a strike rate of 121.55. Having scored only one half-century, Virat has looked far from his very best. However, Hesson had Kohli’s back, saying that the captain has regained his confidence.

'Virat is obviously desperate to do well': Mike Hesson

"Look, there are some times when our batsmen look to do that to get some extra opportunity. Virat is obviously desperate to do well, he likes one-on-one sessions to get his confidence and basically find his rhythm. It definitely looks like he has found it," Hesson said in a video on RCB’s official YouTube channel.

Kohli didn’t have a great start to the UAE leg of IPL 2021 as RCB lost to Kolkata Knight Riders by nine wickets in Abu Dhabi on Monday. Kohli didn’t have a good day with the bat either as he got out to Prasidh Krishna after smashing a four through the covers.

Before the second leg started on September 19, Kohli announced that he would be stepping down as RCB’s skipper after the end of the tournament. Hesson, who’s also the franchise’s Director of Cricket, said that the idea was to get rid of "any form of distraction".

"I think it was actually to get any form of distraction out early. We talked about making that announcement as soon as possible really, all the players were aware of it. It has not impacted performance against KKR, we were not sharp with the bat, we lost wickets. But I am confident that this group will turn around pretty quickly," Hesson had said in a virtual press conference.

The Challengers are next scheduled to face Chennai Super Kings on Friday, September 24 at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

Image: PTI