TimesofIndia.com in Ahmedabad: Mohammed Musif, an Ahmedabad local, was donning
Virat Kohli's Test jersey outside the Narendra Modi Stadium and believes this year the curse will finally be lifted for his hero and the team he has supported since the inception of the IPL in 2008.
“RCB should win and Virat must lift the title. I don’t know when I’ll next see him play in Ahmedabad. I have four tickets and I’m bringing my two sons to watch him. RCB must win tomorrow,” says Musif, who now has to buy two more jerseys for his kids.
At the pre-match press conference, RCB captain Rajat Patidar was almost sidelined as most of the questions were directed at his counterpart, Shreyas Iyer, who had played arguably his best knock just hours ago.
Rajat was quizzed about Kohli and the immense expectations from RCB fans and the skipper handled the pressure with a straight bat.
“I think it’s not frustrating for me (with Virat being the centre of attention). He has given a lot of years to RCB and the international side. We’ll try to do our best in the game,” Patidar told reporters.
On the pressure from fans, Patidar said: “I think no one can deny the expectations, but for me, it’s important to focus on the present moment. I always look at what’s in my control.”
The last time these two teams met in Mullanpur, Virat Kohli was all fired up. Though no longer captain, he remains the emotional core of RCB, driving them forward with relentless energy.
With 614 runs, Kohli is RCB’s leading run-getter this season and seems to be running on something extra. In Qualifier 1, he was at his cinematic best.
Standing between Kohli and that elusive IPL title is the ice-cool Shreyas Iyer. After losing Qualifier 1, he famously said: “We’ve lost the battle, but not the war.”
On Sunday evening, the Punjab Kings captain batted like a man possessed. He didn’t even celebrate when he reached his half-century or after hitting the winning six—but did give Shashank Singh a mouthful for a needless run-out.
“I felt like my job was half done. It’s not even finished. We have a match tomorrow. I approached it with that mindset. Job is half done, and I have to come back tomorrow and play again,” said Shreyas.
He acknowledged that he thrives in big matches and gets into a zone. Unlike Kohli, he doesn’t wear his emotions on his sleeve—he stays cool and has his own way of getting the best out of his players.
“When I say that you are in the zone, it starts before the match. It starts from the warm-up—how you plan and approach the game. Once we started fielding, I was completely locked in on how I would rally my players.
“(On batting) I thought I’d give myself a little time and then see how we plan our plays around it. Once my eyes were set, it was just about flow—backing my instincts and going according to the run rate. Thankfully, I clicked and the team benefited,” Shreyas added.
He admitted he had only slept four hours since his whirlwind knock and would look to recharge his batteries to turn up fresh for the big Tuesday final. RCB on the other hand are well rested and even had a hit under lights on Monday.
In a battle between fire and ice, one thing is guaranteed—it will be entertaining, with the Ahmedabad rain likely to make an appearance too.