RCB fresher Azharuddeen gets clicked with Virat Kohli & Anushka Sharma before RR IPL clash

Awaiting his turn on the biggest stage, young Kerala wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammed Azharuddeen continues to eagerly wait for an opportunity from the sidelines in the Royal Challengers Bangalore camp. The young gun, who shot up the ranks during the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2021, was acquired by the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the IPL 2021 auctions at his base price of INR 20 lakh. Ahead of Bangalore's clash against Rajasthan, Azharuddeen shared a picture with skipper Virat Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma. 

"So happy to be amongst such humble, down to earth people," Azharuddeen captioned the picture tagging the RCB skipper and his wife. 

Azharuddeen reveals Kohli's message 

Almost 2 minutes after the IPL auction on February 18, Azharuddeen, who had been picked by Bangalore at his base price of INR 20 lakhs received a text from skipper Virat Kohli and fellow RCB member welcoming him into the squad reading-- "Welcome to RCB, all the best. Virat here." 

According to Azharuddeen, the text was too good to be true, hence he refused to believe it was from Kohli, rushing to Sanju Samson to confirm if it was really his number. After confirmation from his state teammate, the Kerala cricketer replied-  "That means my world", sharing that he was excited to meet him and play alongside him. 

RCB eye fourth straight win

For the first time since 2013, the Royal Challengers Bangalore have managed to win their first three outings in the IPL and have done it clinically this year around. Strengthened by the arrival of Glenn Maxwell, the batting responsibilities have been offloaded, releasing the pressure on skipper Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. The death bowling, which has often been trouble for RCB, has also looked in good touch this season. 

Meanwhile, RCB skipper Virat Kohli has won the toss at the Wankhede stadium and opted to field first. Making a change to the winning combination against KKR, Kohli has brought in Kane Richardson in place of Rajat Patidar. "Going to bowl. Have seen results here whether there's dew or not. Confident we can chase anything down. Try and exploit whatever we can with the new ball. Very exciting for me as a batsman but the bowlers will have to adjust. Have experienced conditions totally opposite in Chennai," Kohli exudes confidence in chasing any total down.