Sharing the pitch with Virat Kohli has been a dream for many youngsters. Swapnil Singh, who represented Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League, is one of the few who had the privilege of playing with the Indian batting icon in his U-15 and U-19 days as well as the IPL.
The 33-year-old all-rounder recently opened up about his relationship with Kohli. The duo first met at a U15 NCA (National Cricket Academy) camp at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru in 2004. Swapnil got an opportunity to reunite with Kohli after RCB signed him at the mini-auction ahead of the 2024 IPL. During a chat on a YouTube podcast, The Uncapped Indians, Swapnil talked about the changes he could spot in Kohli after meeting him again in the RCB dressing room.
According to Swapnil Singh, Virat Kohli is a lot calmer these days. “We played together in U19 and U15, Kohli was a very flamboyant personality at that time. But when I met him this time, there was a huge change in him. He is into himself, he’s become calmer, loves to spend time with his family and talks less but talks wisely," he said.
Swapnil spoke about the advice Kohli gave him during this IPL season. The RCB all-rounder revealed that Kohli asked him to “stick to the basics". “He (Kohli) told me to stick to the basics and strengthen them. When you are doing well, you need to focus more and more on the basics. We talked a lot and he kept telling me the same thing."
The suggestions certainly boosted Swapnil’s confidence and he feels when a “legend of Virat’s stature" tells you about basics, then you become mentally sorted and focus on the right things.
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As far as Swapnil Singh’s performance in the 2024 IPL is concerned, the UP-born cricketer mostly warmed the bench as an unused substitute in the first few games. Once called up, he showcased his A-game across departments, helping RCB make a roaring comeback in the second half of the league stage.
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Swapnil Singh chipped in with batting cameos on several occasions and demonstrated his wicket-taking skills with slower deliveries. Swapnil racked up 28 runs at a strike rate of 164.70 in four innings. He picked six wickets while maintaining an economy rate of 8.76.
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