Virat Kohli does not require the “captaincy title” to be in charge because of his natural penchant for leadership and it will benefit new skipper Rajat Patidar, reckons Mo Bobat, the team director of Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Patidar was on Thursday unveiled as the RCB captain ahead of IPL 2025. “Virat was an option (for captaincy). I know that the fans would have probably leaned towards Virat in the first instance. But my point on Virat would be that Virat doesn’t need a captaincy title to lead,” Bobat said in a media interaction.
“Leadership, as we’ve all seen, is one of his strongest instincts. I think it just comes naturally to him. He leads regardless. But we’ve seen a lot of love for Rajat too,” Bobat added.
The former England high performance coach said Kohli has always set an example on the field with his performance.
“He leads, as an example. The volume of runs and the strike rate that he scored last year was so important for us. Everyone in the field knows that they’ve got to be up to their standards because of him. Everyone’s seen how much he likes a fight and a scrap,” he said.
Bobat said it is an excellent opportunity for Patidar to learn from Kohli.
“He’s an example. (Head coach) Andy (Flower) and I lean on him quite a lot. (Former captain) Faf (Du Plessis) had leaned on him quite a lot. We’re pretty sure that Rajat will also be leaning on him too,” he said.
Bobat said Kohli backed the decision to appoint Patidar as captain to the hilt.
“Andy and I spent some time with Virat earlier this week, actually, in Ahmedabad (during India’s 3rd ODI vs England). What was so obvious was he had so much energy and excitement for this decision. He’s so pleased for Rajat.
“Like us, he knows how deserving Rajat is of this opportunity. He’s right behind him and we saw a real sense of energy and excitement from him.
“It’s brilliant to know that Virat’s on board and he’s right behind him. We’re all certain Rajat’s in safe hands with Virat right next to him,” he detailed.
So, what are the qualities in Patidar that made him the eventual choice for RCB captaincy? “I spent some time talking to Rajat about his captaincy aspirations. And what struck us was that he was very determined and ambitious about leadership and captaincy. He really wanted to do this.” But the RCB thought leaders were also blown away by the simplicity in which he approached the possibility of him being the team’s captain.
“There’s a calmness and a simplicity to Rajat that I think will stand him in really good stead as a leader and a captain, particularly in the IPL. We watched Rajat very closely as he captained Madhya Pradesh in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, and we really liked what we saw around those qualities,” said Bobat.
“Secondly, he cares about the people around him. He cares about the people that he plays with, that he shares a dressing room with, and I think that’s a quality that means that he will instantly have the respect and care from other people.” Flower said those nice traits actually mask the steel inside Patidar.
“He’s got a stubbornness and a strength and a steeliness about him. One of the traits I love most about him is, he’s very brave under pressure. And in those moments of games where the game’s on the line, it’s typically been Rajat throwing a few punches for us.
“And if he can take all of that into his captaincy, which I’m sure he will, and he certainly has done for his state, I think it will stand the team in a really good stead,” he added.
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