Virat Kohli : I really required the break from competitive cricket

Even the greatest players required rest from their respective fields of expertise and Royal Challengers skipper Virat Kohli was only human. After a long International season which seen the Indian skipper dominate with the bat as he led the country to some impressive series win against the likes of England, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, New Zealand, Australia and most recently South Africa, Kohli was rested for the tri-nation Nidahas Trophy which was held last month in Sri Lanka.

After a period of 42 days without playing any form of competitive cricket, the RCB talisman is set to return with a bang and with all guns firing to lead a new-look RCB side into the 2018 Indian Premier League season. Kohli added that it was weird to not look at his kit bag for such a long period but admits it was a well-required break for himself.

"Well, I required it [the break]. Physically I was up with a few niggles. I pretty much went to the tour of South Africa with full intensity. Towards the end, the body obviously took a bit of beating. I understood that I need complete time off from the game. Three weeks without even looking at my kit bag or bats was a weird feeling," Kohli said in a media interaction in Bangalore on April 4.

Despite his distance from competitive cricket in the past two months, Kohli revealed that he was always at par with the cricketing news from all around the globe. He was quick to point out that he was still some way off from his peak form but would get there soon.

"At the back of your mind, you are never out of the game. I was keeping a check on all the scores happening around the world, especially with India playing as well. That kept me involved in some way. Physically I wanted to take a complete break. I'm feeling strong and I've been training non-stop for the last 12 days. I feel I'm getting close to my peak condition. I'm definitely at 100 percent now, 110 is what I prefer and that 10 will take a little more time," Kohli added.

The RCB management team along with coach Daniel Vettori have managed to put together an impressive squad for the upcoming 2018 edition of the IPL. The batting department in particular looks to be one of the best in the league with the likes of AB De Villiers, Brendon McCullum, Corey Anderson, Quinton De Kock, and skipper Kohli himself vying for a spot in the starting line-up. 

Kohli was of the opinion that in the 10 years of his association with the RCB franchise, the current squad was the most balanced one he had ever played with.

"We are optimistic about the season. It's very very balanced side. In the 10 years that I've been here, I don't think we've ever had such a balance. We had initially but everyone firing together is also a massive factor," 

"This year we are not relying only on batting, we've got bowling options too. That gives us plenty of positivity heading into the IPL. Something we know is that if we execute our plans well enough, we have cricketers who are experienced and know-how to get the job done in the middle. We have faith in all the boys that are in the squad. We understand they have the intelligence level to execute the skills at the required time," Kohli added.