Virat batting as well as he has ever done: RCB mentor Karthik

CHENNAI: The floodlights at the MA Chidambaram Stadium hadn’t yet flickered on, but Virat Kohli was already at work, fine-tuning his strokes on Thursday. That, in a nutshell, would tell you how charged the champion batter is to make it count against a team that has bothered him through his illustrious IPL career. And even after that intense session, he wasn’t quite done.
At the pre-match press talk, RCB mentor Dinesh Karthik, in awe of Kohli’s pursuit of perfection, said: “I spoke to him just now as I came out and he said that he wanted to work on one more shot. At this point of time, to work on one more shot tells you the hunger he has. He wants to just improve and keep raising the bar. He’s a special player. The way I see it, he’s batting as confidently and as well as he has ever done in IPL.”
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While the MA Chidambaram Stadium over the years hasn’t exactly been a happy hunting ground for Kohli in the IPL, his unbeaten 90 (off 52 balls) in Dubai in 2021 remains the highest individual score by an RCB batter against the five-time champions.
Against CSK spinners at Chepauk, however, his highest is an unflattering 58 with a strike-rate of 113 — slightly below-par by his own lofty standards. Karthik, though, dismissed any doubts about Kohli’s ability to handle spin, pointing to his success in major tournaments.
“Kohli scored some serious runs in the recent Champions Trophy. He has batted well against spinners in the recent past, especially in white-ball cricket. He was the second-highest run-getter in Dubai and that doesn’t come without playing spin. I believe right now he’s batting as well as he has ever done,” he said.

‘Street smart’ Rachin key for CSK
While the spotlight remains on the seasoned stars, New Zealand’s young all-rounder Rachin Ravindra has shown glimpses of why he could be a key player for the Super Kings this season. His match-winning unbeaten 65 in their opener against Mumbai Indians underlined his growing stature, and against RCB, he could once again be the difference-maker.
His ability to counter spin makes him a vital cog in the CSK batting lineup, a feature that head coach Stephen Fleming highlighted about his fellow Kiwi.
“His game against spin has always been very good. His development over the last 12 months has been excellent. His last game against RCB (IPL 2024), was one of his best innings (61 off 37 balls). He’s contributed a number of runs for New Zealand. His knock against MI was superb in terms of controlling the tempo of the game. He’s got the power and he’s street-smart,” Fleming said.