Virat Kohli’s exemplary work ethic continues to serve as a source of inspiration for his teammates and the Indian superstar remains committed to raising the bar for himself, said RCB batting coach Dinesh Karthik on Thursday.Karthik, a former RCB player who retired after the last IPL edition, said Kohli remains as hungry as ever
“Even today, just now as I came out, he wanted to work on one more shot. At this point in time, to work on one more shot tells you the hunger that he has in his mindset,” the former India wicketkeeper-batter said on the ever of RCB versus CSK clash.
“He wants to just improve and keep raising the bar. So, he is a special player. And at this point in time, the way I see it, he is batting as confidently and as well as he has ever done in the IPL.”
Karthik also played down his recent struggles against spin.
“He’s coming on some serious runs in the Champions Trophy. He’s batted well in the recent past against spin, especially in white-ball cricket. So, I don’t want to go too deep into stats,” Karthik.
“I’m not very aware. But if I remember, in the World Cup final, he got runs where it mattered. And apart from that, in the Champions Trophy, he had a good tournament, second-highest run-getter (fifth).
“And that doesn’t come without playing spin because, in Dubai, as you all know how well it helped the spinners, he was very aware. So, I believe right now, he is batting as well as he has ever done.”
RCB have not beaten CSK at their home ground even once in the last 16 years. Rajat Patidar and his men will once again face a spin test when they take on the five-time former champions at Chepauk on Friday
Asked if playing spin is a problem area for the RCB batters, Karthik said, “I donāt think thereās any problem. We played one match, a completely new side to what we had last year. One of the strengths, I believe, is the way we play spin. And as this tournament unfolds, you’ll see it happen.
“CSK have three good spinners, no doubt. But we also have very good batters, competent batsmen, who we trust. One of the reasons why we picked them is how well they play spin.”
CSKās long-serving coach Stephen Fleming, who led them to five title wins in the IPL, feels that young players sometimes struggle against spin because they lack the first-class experience needed to learn the subtleties of playing spinners.
“A lot of these players are coming straight out of one season or half a season, two seasons at most, of first-class cricket. They havenāt got a lot of grounding. They havenāt got the 10 years of first-class experience,” the 51-year-old New Zealander said.
“But theyāre incredibly powerful, so they know how to hit the ball and hit it a long way. But the subtleties of the game are something that you learn over time. When youāre young and given these big opportunities, sometimes you havenāt had the experience against a wide range of bowlers.
“For many, itās coming up against this type of player for the first time, and itās a tough stage. But their default position is power, so you still have to be very smart with what you do. But thatās why you think players with a little bit of difference make a big difference.”