In an unexpected viral moment during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s match against Rajasthan Royals on Thursday, Dinesh Karthik and Virat Kohli were seen in an intense chat. In the visual that was caught on camera and soon went viral, RCB’s batting coach Dinesh Karthik and head coach Andy Flower were seen gesturing and presumably offering some advice to Kohli. The body language made the moment as Kohli appeared to reject the advice and fold his hands. Later, following RCB’s win, Dinesh Karthik lauded Virat Kohli.
"There is a loss for words. Purely the hunger that he has. It's one thing to play in the IPL for 18 years, But it's a different thing to be consistent for that long. This tells you a lot about the man. And he's very determined. In the first three games in Bengaluru, he told me two things. One was that he could have probably thought a little better and next, even the fans - the way he looks at it - he knows that a lot of people turn up just to watch him bat,” Karthik said after the game in the RCB dressing room.
"So you can see that even though he did not say it explicitly, he felt that. And if that man puts his mind to something, the way he adapts, understands situations, I am too small a person to even speak about him. He is an absolute champion. Just the way he guided Dev (Padikkal) along the way, making sure he took (Phil) Salt along at the start. His body language and commitment to a cause is outstanding,” he said.
RCB had sealed an 11-run win over RR, with Virat Kohli smoking 70 off 42 balls—his fifth fifty of the season. Devdutt Paddikal also blazed a crucial knock of 50 off 27.