One thing never changes for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise in their 18 years in the Indian Premier League (IPL), and that is Virat Kohli's consistency in raking up runs after runs each season. Hardly has there been a season or two in IPL where the legendary batter has not crossed the 300-run mark in the T20 tournament.
The right-hand batter was again at the forefront when he smashed a 42-ball 70-run knock against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on April 24 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru and enabled a home win for RCB after three losses.
Currently, Virat Kohli has 392 runs in nine games and is second on the list for the Orange Cap race. However, beyond the insane consistency, it's the 36-year-old's mindset to always win the game and make an impact that continues to inspire. RCB mentor Dinesh Karthik lavished huge praise on the star batter and saluted his mental resolve and determination to never give up for the 18th year running in IPL.
"Just lost for words purely because of the hunger that he has. It is one thing to play IPL for 18 years, but it's a different thing to be consistent for 18 years. Just tells you a lot about the man. And he was very determined. He just felt the first three games in Bangalore.
"He told me two things. One that probably he could have thought a little better. And B, he felt the fans, the way he looks at it. He knows that a lot of the people turn up just to watch him bat. So you can see, even though he didn't say it explicitly, he felt that. And that man puts his mind to something, the way he adapts, understands situations.
Dinesh Karthik in awe of Virat Kohli's winning mindset
Karthik further stated the way Kohli guided Devdutt Paddikkal and Phil Salt while batting against RR was simply mind-blowing. The RCB star's body language is always switched on, come what the situation is. Karthik feels it is very rare to see in a player.
“I'm too small a person to even speak about it. He's an absolute champion. Just the way he went about it. Also guiding Dev along the way, making sure to take Salt along at the start. His body language, his commitment to a cause. Outstanding,” said Dinesh Karthik in a video shared on social media by the IPL franchise.
Kohli's match-winning 70 runs enabled RCB to set up 205 runs, which proved to be just enough for RCB, as RR fell short by 11 runs. This win for RCB was their sixth win, which enabled them to get 12 points and third position in IPL 2025 points table.
