Virat Kohli: The force behind RCB's dominant march to IPL final

TimesofIndia.com in Mullanpur:Virat Kohli wears his heart on his sleeve.After Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) thumping eight-wicket win over Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Qualifier 1, Virat Kohli was seen gesturing as if to say, "Just one more to go."Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Could 2025 finally be the year RCB break their title drought? Will it be the year the curse is lifted? Will Virat Kohli finally lay his hands on the elusive title he has been chasing since 2008? Everything will be answered on June 3 in Ahmedabad.Who's that IPL player?But Kohli in the field against PBKS gave a glimpse of why this is a tournament where he refuses to lose. He is the leading run-getter for RCB in this year's IPL and seemed to run on something extra, call it a desire, a resolve or a motivation.And it was no different on Thursday. The aggression and intensity Virat showed in the field made him look like a wounded lion who had tasted blood.

Yes, after quitting Test cricket, he has a lot to prove. The energy with which he was patrolling the RCB troop gives you a reminder of Virat Kohli, the "on-your-face Test captain." He displayed a range of emotions in a single match: the thumping of the RCB badge, which holds a special place in his heart; the jubilation after every fall of a PBKS wicket; the fist pump in the air; rushing from the boundary line to celebrate every wicket – Kohli was at his cinematic best.

As RCB's pace trio of Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar came all guns blazing, it looked like Virat Kohli for a moment forgot that he was not the captain of RCB, as he was calling all the shots. He may no longer wear the captain’s armband, but on the field, he continues to lead. His energy is relentless, his presence impossible to ignore. He was central to every tactical move — constantly in the bowlers’ ears, or in the fielders’ eyeline when they erred.

A growl, a stare — his expressions spoke volumes without a single word.

Physically, he remains a remarkable athlete — enduring long spells under the punishing sun with unwavering stamina. His boundless energy continues to offset the natural decline in reflexes that comes with age. RCB pacer Josh Hazlewood summed up Virat's energy in just one short sentence: "Virat's always up and about in the field," he told reporters after the match.He was at his theatrical best in the field, but on a wicket which had something to offer for the fast bowlers, his recurring susceptibility outside the off-stump was on display as well. The extra bounce on the sixth-stump line, which he ended up poking, did the trick for Kohli. It was a dismissal reminiscent of those that kind of put the last nail in his Test career in Australia.

But come June 3 in Ahmedabad, the pitch won't have this amount of bounce. The Narendra Modi Stadium favours batters, and RCB will bank on Kohli to not just guide them to their first title but also to achieve redemption by winning a trophy in front of one hundred thousand spectators. So tighten your seatbelt, as we might be in for "one last dance" from one of the all-time greats.