RCB batting coach and mentor Dinesh Karthik applauded the star batter Virat Kohli, praising him as a “genius par excellence” for his consistently stunning performances in the Indian Premier League across 18 seasons, most recently in their all-important match against LSG on 26 May. Kohli’s knock in chasing totals once again proved important as RCB chased down the 228 target to seal a spot in Qualifier 1 of IPL 2025 as well.

Speaking to JioHotstar, Dinesh Karthik said, “Genius par excellence, that’s the start, I’ll say for Virat Kohli. Across 18 seasons, he already averages, not averages, he’s got 9000 runs, which is 500 runs a season. People managed to get that 12 seasons. Hayden has got it a few times more, but it is such a hard ask. But for him to come churn out runs every year, have that motivation, even in warmups, the way he feels.”

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

ALSO READ: “He is the most successful Indian Test captain” – Aakash Chopra on Virat Kohli

While Jitesh Sharma’s unbeaten 85 off 33 balls helped RCB register a record seventh straight away win this season, it also saw Virat Kohli became the first player to score 9,000 T20 runs as well, and move to the top five of the Orange Cap race with 602 runs from 13 matches—just 77 runs behind Gujarat Titans opener Sai Sudharsan, who tops the chart as well.

Dinesh Karthik also became the proud mentor of stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma, who played a stunning knock of his IPL career to help RCB seal a spot in Qualifier 1 as well.

ALSO READ: “I did get a couple of hints” – AB de Villiers on Virat Kohli’s Test retirement

“Jitesh Sharma is a special cricketer. He worked really hard in the offseason. He’s put in a lot of work to understand how to chase big totals and how to stay calm in those kinds of situations,” Karthik said during a post-match interaction with JioStar. “Today was a great example of what happens when you back your skills and, more importantly, trust the shots you know. It’s also about delivering in big moments.”

“Sometimes, as a player and a leader, you need your senior players to step up,” Dinesh Karthik concluded. “He’s played a lot of cameos, but today it was great to see him get that fifty-and more importantly, stay not out and take us across the line.”