Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], April 25 (ANI): 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.
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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.
During the match, Virat scored 70 in 42 balls, with eight boundaries and two sixes. His runs came at a strike rate of 166.67. He reached his first half-century at home this season in four innings, after managing just 30 runs in three earlier innings at home.
The veteran has climbed to the second spot in the Orange Cap race, with 392 runs in nine matches at an average of 65.33, a strike rate of 144.11, with five half-centuries. His best score is 73*.
Coming to the match, RR opted to bowl first after winning the toss. A 61-run stand between Phil Salt (26 in 23 balls, with four boundaries) and Virat kickstarted things off for RCB. Later, a 95-run stand followed between Virat, who made 70 in 42 balls, with eight fours and two sixes and Devdutt Padikkal (50 in 27 balls, with four boundaries and three sixes). Despite some quick wickets later, cameos from Tim David (23* in 15 balls, with two fours and a six) and Jitesh Sharma (20* in 10 balls, with four boundaries) powered RCB to 205/5 in 20 overs.
Sandeep Sharma (2/45) was the top bowler for RR, while Jofra Archer also delivered an impressive four-over spell of 1/33.
During the run-chase, Yashasvi Jaiswal (49 in 19 balls, with seven fours and three sixes) and Vaibhav Suryavanshi (16 in 10 balls, with two sixes) put on a quickfire 52-run stand, putting RCB under pressure early on. Later, Nitish Rana (28 in 22 balls, with three fours and a six), skipper Riyan Parag (22 in 10 balls, with two fours and two sixes) and Dhruv Jurel (47 in 34 balls, with three fours and three sixes) kept firing, with the equation down to 18 runs in final two overs with five wickets left. However, Krunal Pandya (2/31) removed Parag and Rana timely while Josh Hazlewood (4/33) and Yash Dayal (1/33) produced a clutch performance at the death phase, securing RCB an 11-run win.
RCB is at the third spot in the points table, with six wins and three losses, giving them 12 points. RR is in eighth spot with two wins and seven losses. They have suffered their fifth successive loss.
Hazlewood was given the ‘Player of the Match’ award for his breathtaking four-wicket haul. (ANI)
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