‘Their Loyalty More Valuable Than Any Silverware’: Virat Kohli on His Bond With Bengaluru

Virat Kohli has a special place in his heart for Bengaluru which is now his second home after Delhi, his birthplace. His association with the Garden City of India dates back to a time when Kohli was picked by Royal Challengers Bangalore. Kohli was drafted into the very first Indian Premier League auction in 2008. During a recent interaction with Star Sports, Kohli spoke about his connection with the city of Bengaluru, where Team India will clash against the Netherlands on November 12.

Be it for his IPL team RCB or the Indian team, Kohli has played a lot of cricket at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. He became quite nostalgic while reminiscing about the bond with the city.

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Despite spending as many as 15 seasons with the franchise, Kohli has failed to lead RCB to the IPL title thus far. Kohli made a special mention of the people in Bengaluru, underlining their loyalty and support. “The loyalty and love that the fans have shown are more valuable to me than any piece of silverware,” he said.

Kohli further shed light on the humble nature of Bengaluru residents and their love for sports. “I feel very fortunate that I was able to form a deep connection with the city where I was not even born. Bengaluru absolutely feels like my home, not even the second home. The city has accepted people as their own, giving them so much love and support. It a testimony to their sporting intelligence,” Kohli explained.

The 34-year-old seemed quite excited for India’s upcoming World Cup game in Bengaluru.

No adjective is enough to describe Virat Kohli’s form in this home World Cup. In his 8 appearances, Kohli has aggregated 543 runs, including two centuries and four half-centuries. He is only seven runs short of South Africa’s Quinton de Kock on the list of the most run-scorer in this World Cup. During India’s last game against South Africa, Kohli equalled Sachin Tendulkar’s long-standing record of 49 ODI tons.