Virat Kohli's emotional outburst after Royal Challengers Bengaluru's long-awaited IPL title victory was poignantly explained by Ricky Ponting, the head coach of the Punjab Kings and one of the most renowned voices in international cricket.
The renowned Australian claimed that Kohli's tears demonstrated the psychological and individual costs of pursuing the illusive trophy for eighteen seasons, as well as the significance of the trophy for players.
As RCB defeated Punjab Kings by six runs in Tuesday's final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Kohli broke down in tears due to intense emotions. Since the IPL's inaugural season in 2008, Kohli has been the only player to represent just one team; the picture marked the conclusion of a wait that lasted the entire tournament's history.
"You can see in his eyes in that last over, he was shedding a tear, that's what it means to players, that's what it means to everyone," Ponting told reporters after the final.
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“Chennai (Super Kings) have won it a few times, Mumbai (Indians) have won it a few times, but it's not an easy tournament to win — it is as simple as that — and you have to think long and hard about that. It's not easy to win this thing.”
Ponting, who has captained dominant Australian teams across formats and competed in and won ICC World Cups, used his professional career to support Kohli's candid declaration that the honor of playing for one's country in Test cricket still surpasses IPL triumph. In his post-match statement, Kohli said that although the IPL victory was one of his greatest professional moments, it was "five marks below Test cricket."
Kohli's admiration for the red-ball game was shared by Ponting.
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"I'm probably one of the biggest purists of the game still involved. Whether I'm coaching or commentating, my first love is Test match cricket, always will be."
“But I totally understand what he means... this is as close as I can get to playing a Test match again.”
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