Bengaluru: Following his side’s win over Rajasthan Royals (RR), which snapped a three-game home duck, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batting coach and mentor Dinesh Karthik hailed star India batter Virat Kohli for his match-winning knock and consistency in the Indian Premier League (IPL) since last 18 years, calling him an “absolute champion”.
Virat continued his brilliant run at the ongoing IPL 2025, securing his fifth fifty-plus score of the season and first one at home this year in RCB’s 11-run win over RR at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday. Virat laid the foundation for a competitive score of 205/5, with a 61-run opening stand with Phil Salt and then a 95-run stand with Devdutt Padikkal, which made the duo the most successful one of this year’s IPL.
Speaking in a video by RCB’s official X handle, Karthik said that he feels “lost for words” at Virat’s consistency and said that the right-hander was determined to get some runs under his belt in front of the home crowd after three poor outings across which he made just 30 runs.
“Lost for words purely because of the hunger that he has. Look, it is one thing to play IPL for 18 years, but it is a different thing to be consistent for 18 years. Just tells you a lot about the man. And he was very determined. He just felt the first three games in Bangalore. He told me two things. One, probably he could have thought a little better. And B, he felt the fans, the way he looks at it. He knows that a lot of the people turn up just to watch him play,” said Karthik.
Karthik hailed Virat for his adaptability and understanding of situations in a game well.
“So you can see, even though he didn’t say it explicitly, he felt that (want to score in front of home fans). That man puts his mind to something, the way he adapts, and understands situations. I am too small a person to even speak about it. He is an absolute champion. Just the way he went about it. Also guiding Dev (Padikkal) along the way. Make sure to take Salt along at the start. His body language, his commitment to a cause,” he concluded. (ANI)
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