Virat Kohli "Was An Option": RCB Director Mega Revelation On Rajat Patidar Being Named As Skipper

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