Virat Kohli - RCB - sportstiger

Picture Credit: BCCI/IPL

The Royal Challengers Bangalore have reconsolidated their position in the playoff race as they registered a resounding victory over the Sunrisers Hyderabad. After a slow start to their innings, RCB posted a massive total of 192. 

Then Bangalore built on this momentum and bundled out the 2016 IPL champions for 125. But in this victory, former India and RCB captain Virat Kohli didn’t play a major part in the win. He got out for another golden duck on the first ball of the match. After the game, Kohli praised his team and tweeted, “Firecracker game and a great win.”

RCB throughout the season have missed the talismanic form of Kohli but their wicketkeeper Dinesh Karthik is doing everything in his power to fill this void. Karthik against Sunrisers smashed 30 runs in just eight balls with one four and four sixes. RCB captain Faf du Plessis also praised the finisher in the post-match interview. 

“He just took them apart,” du Plessis 

Faf said, “If he (Dinesh Karthik) is hitting sixes like that, we want to get him in and bat as long as possible. He's just so clear. To be honest, I was actually trying to get out because I was so tired, to get DK in.” 

“We were even contemplating - myself 'retiring out'. And then, we lost that wicket. DK is in such good form. It was a tricky wicket. A lot of guys, their first few balls, they struggled. Lucky for us, there was a drop catch of DK and he just took them apart.”

“He has all the experience in the world,” Shastri

Several cricket experts have also praised DK’s incredible season where he has scored 274 runs from 12 games with a strike rate of 200.00 and an average of 68.50. Former India coach and player Ravi Shastri commended Karthik for his approach to this role. 

He said, “The clarity, the thought process is very good and positive and it's making all the difference in the world. He has all the experience in the world. He has been around for long. He is fit and what's great to see that the hunger is still there.” 

“He is playing for a new franchise and the responsibility has been given to him clear cut. He knows his job. One thing I must say is that at his age, he picks up length better than most players younger to him, especially the short ball. He is having a ball. An absolute ball of a time,” Shastri added.