One among the newest entrants into the side was young Punjab batsman, Mandeep Singh. The then 24-year-old batter had played one season for the Kolkata Knight Riders and four editions of the IPL for the Kings XI Punjab and was set to partner some big names, including skipper Virat Kohli at RCB.

Having rubbed shoulders with some greats of the game such as Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle among others, Mandeep cherishes his time with RCB. And, in an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda, the ace batsman recalled how his first few encounters with Virat Kohli were inspirational.

Mandeep made his RCB debut under Virat Kohli’s captaincy in IPL 2015 and made 157 runs from 14 matches in that season. As per his own admission, Mandeep claimed that he realised he needed to get better, and worked hard on sharpening his technique.

“Virat Kohli’s hunger to score runs is unlike anything else”

However, Mandeep picked up an injury just before the first match of the season and was forced to watch his teammates play from the sidelines. Notably, IPL 2016 was a landmark for Virat Kohli in the history of the IPL, for the RCB captain made 973 runs from 16 matches - the most runs in a single season.

As the cricketing fraternity bowed down at the RCB skipper’s ability to take away matches from the opposition single-handedly, Mandeep shed light on how de Villiers backed the Punjab batsman throughout and asked him to learn from Virat Kohli’s hunger to score runs.

And, despite enduring a moderate season in IPL 2015 and sitting out with an injury throughout IPL 2016, Mandeep kept an optimistic outlook and claimed that a chat with de Villiers helped him out during the tough times.

Currently enjoying some quality family time back in Chandigarh, Mandeep is working hard on his fitness and credits RCB trainer Shankar Basu for bringing about a change in his lifestyle.

A post shared by Mandeep Singh (@mandeeps12) on May 3, 2018 at 4:56am PDT

Having made his RCB debut in 2015, Mandeep soon formed an important part of the Virat Kohli-led side’s middle order. The Punjab batsman played four seasons for RCB, before he shifted to the KXIP for IPL 2019.

Mandeep reminisced his time with RCB and claimed that he does miss playing under Virat Kohli, although there’s a sense of pride to play for the KXIP.

A post shared by Mandeep Singh (@mandeeps12) on May 15, 2018 at 12:35am PDT

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