'It might've been something that's been weighing him down': Maxwell opens up on 'big burden' of captaincy on Kohli

Virat Kohli last year stepped down as RCB captain, ending his decade-long journey as the leader of the franchise.

Virat Kohli last year was spearheading the Indian set-up with a reputation of wearing his heart on his sleeve. Cut to the present day and the mercurial batter is not leading the national team in any of the three formats. It all started with Kohli relinquishing T20 captaincy, which was followed by his exit from Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) leadership and removal as ODI skipper. He eventually stepped down as the Test captain as well. (

Virat Kohli Glenn Maxwell of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). (ANI)

The 33-year-old batter was known for his no-holds-barred approach when he first entered the international arena. Kohli's captaincy journey has witnessed a major change in the past few months and so has his on-field approach, feels his RCB teammate Glenn Maxwell.

Kohli last year stepped down as RCB captain, ending his decade-long journey as the leader of the franchise. Under him, RCB's best show came in 2016 when the team reached the final, with Kohli leading from the front scoring 973 runs including four centuries. He will be seen playing under the leadership of Faf du Plessis in the upcoming season and Maxwell believes the former skipper will fire without the burden of captaincy.

"He knows he's handing the captaincy over, which I think is potentially a big burden for him. It might have been something that's been weighing him down for a while and now that he's been able to release it, it might be dangerous news for opposition teams," Maxwell told RCB Podcast.

"It is amazing for him to be relaxed a bit and actually enjoy the next few years of his career without any of that sort of external pressure. I think playing against him in earlier days, he was a fiery competitor, getting in your face. He's always trying to impose himself on the game. Impose himself on the opposition," he further said.

Maxwell also weighed in on his relationship with Kohli, saying the Indian has an "in-your-face" attitude when one plays against him, which is extremely contrasting to his behaviour with teammates. The hard-hitting Australian said he's enjoying the cricketing conversations with Kohli after the two have become close friends.

"Something I've noticed more from him this year is he's been really measured with his emotions. He's actually been really measured with his decision-making. He's certainly really surprised me and probably how close we've both gotten to each other as well this year. Being able to talk about the game in a calm manner."

"Because you do see that over-excited, in your face style when you play against him. But to play with him and have really good conversations about the game, I've really enjoyed that," said Maxwell.

RCB will start their IPL 2022 campaign against IPL 2008 champions Rajasthan Royals at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai on March 27. They are slotted in Group B and will take on their fellow group members Sunrisers Hyderabad, Punjab Kings, Chennai Super Kings, and Gujarat Titans two times each.