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Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batting coach Dinesh Karthik poked fun at star batter Virat Kohli over his pre-match dance with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) co-owner and Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. During the opening ceremony of IPL 2025, Kohli was seen dancing with Shah Rukh Khan ahead of the opening match of the tournament between RCB and KKR. Kohli helped RCB chase down 175 as he was unbeaten on 59 off just 36 balls. He had started off by striking over 200 in the Powerplay, before anchoring RCB’s innings following the departure of Phil Salt.
After the match, Karthik gave a motivational speech inside RCB’s dressing room, where he also touched upon Kohli’s hilarious pre-match dance with Shah Rukh.
While also revealing his chat with head coach Andy Flower, Karthik teased Kohli over his footwork and dance moves.
“There was one man who started off with a nice dance today. Andy said his footwork was good because of the dance. I don’t crack such jokes!”
Mindset on point! Krunal and Salt talk about their match winning performances in our season opener at the Eden Gardens.#PlayBold RCB #IPL2025 #KKRvRCB pic.twitter.com/U9Z8aXu97D
— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) March 23, 2025
Karthik, however, hailed Kohli, who once again lived up to his chase monicker tag.
“I did think, being the chase-master – the tag you got – most importantly, this is a lesson to a lot of the batters (on) how you go through the ebs and flow of the game. You took it hard at the start… then you realised there was a situation where you need to be there. That’s what we expect from the batters,” he added.
Former Australian opener Matthew Hayden praised the right-hander’s “chasing masterclass,” calling his recent form a dynamic “Kohli 2.0” on the field.
“This was the perfect total for Virat Kohli to chase down. If you find yourself in a par or slightly above-par scenario on such a surface, that’s where he thrives. It’s crucial that Phil Salt, as his partner, helps elevate the strike rate and scoring rate. Kohli has picked up exactly where he left off with Kolkata Knight Riders, but tonight and over the past two seasons, we’ve seen ‘Virat Kohli 2.0.’
Hayden also analysed Kohli’s approach in the chase and said the 175 was the perfect total for the former skipper to chase down.
“Especially in the middle overs, he was really damaging. He finds it quite easy against pace in the powerplay, but today, through the middle overs, he maintained a strike rate above 170-exactly what was needed,” said Hayden on JioHotstar.
(With IANS Inputs)
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