‘Genius par excellence’ – RCB batting coach and mentor Dinesh Karthik extols Virat Kohli after critical half-century vs LSG

Dinesh Karthik, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batting coach and mentor, heaped praise on Virat Kohli after the legendary batter’s whirlwind half-century laid the groundwork for the record run chase against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the ongoing IPL 2025 (Indian Premier League) on Tuesday, May 27, at the Ekana Cricket Stadium.

RCB needed to defeat LSG to finish in the top two, giving them two opportunities to reach the Indian Premier League (IPL) final. While RCB were the favourites, LSG performed admirably in the batting department, with Rishabh Pant finally finding form, hitting 118* off 61 deliveries. This came after Mitchell Marsh hit 67 off 37 balls. Lucknow produced an impressive 227/3 in 20 overs thanks to these two incredible knocks.

RCB needed a quick start to keep their dreams of chasing the massive score alive, and the Phil Salt-Virat Kohli pair delivered. They added 61 runs during the power play. Virat Kohli scored 54 runs in 30 balls, including 10 boundaries. Later, stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma hit an unbeaten 85 off 33 deliveries, leading his team home with six wickets and eight balls to spare. Mayank Agarwal (41*) and Salt (30) made significant contributions as RCB recorded their most successful run chase in the IPL.

During his innings, Kohli became the first player to score 9,000 runs for a single IPL franchise. Karthik complimented the 36-year-old for his passion, hard work, and dedication.

“Genius par excellence, that’s what I’ll say about Virat Kohli. He has already averaged, not averaged, 9000 runs over 18 seasons, or 500 runs per season. People were able to get all 12 seasons. Hayden has gotten it a few more times, but it is a difficult ask. But for him to come out and run every year, he needs to be motivated, even in warmups,” Karthik told JioHotstar.

Karthik applauds Virat Kohli work ethic.

Furthermore, Dinesh Karthik gave light on Virat Kohli’s work ethic, even throughout training. He emphasised the Delhi-based batter’s unwavering drive and energy. He revealed that Kohli not only works hard in training but also has the desire of a young lad even now. As a result, Kohli has a lot to teach young people who want to play cricket.

“I was just hitting a few balls to him, and the speed at which it comes back in the middle tells you the man has so much passion and intensity about anything he wants to do, and that’s such a brilliant attribute for any young boy or girl wanting to play sport, forget cricket, just the passion, hard work, and dedication with every minute you spend on the sport. “He is a walking example of that,” Karthik said.