Mohammad Kaif was caught off guard by the appointment of Rajat Patidar as RCB skipper.© BCCI
Former India batter Mohammad Kaif admitted that the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) caught him off guard with the appointment of Rajat Patidar as there latest captain. Earlier this week, RCB named Patidar as their latest captain ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season. Kaif suggested that the move was a bit surprising as he thought Kohli could be the one to guide RCB, especially after the franchises decided to not retain Faf du Plessis, who led the team for 3 seasons.
Speaking in a video uploaded on X, Kaif identified that Kohli may need played an enormous role in Patidar’s appointment.
“I assumed that Virat Kohli could be the guy since they decided not to maintain Faf du Plessis. I assumed Virat Kohli may need had some conversations. See the thing is the team is being run by Virat Kohli. Even when he is just not the captain, it’s on him because the team has to go for the players that he wants or plans to back. If Patidar is the captain, then obviously Kohli may have had a hand in that as well,” Kaif wrote on X.
“That franchise has not won a trophy in 18 years, but still Kohli has been with them for therefore a few years. Without the trophy as well, he has built a whole lot of influence and respect and the brand value,” he added.
Kaif also suggested that Patidar’s appointment could possibly be long run, especially considering that Kohli is past his prime and desires to give attention to his contributions with the bat.
“I used to be a bit surprised when he didn’t take up the captaincy. By bringing in a young captain it could mean that he’s around 37 years old and even he wants a young player as a captain for the long-term and give attention to his contributions,” Kaif identified.
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