Royal Challengers Bengaluru mentor and batting coach Dinesh Karthik paid special tribute to batter Virat Kohli after the franchise confirmed its place in Qualifier 1 against Punjab Kings on May 29. He scored 54 runs in a chase of 228 runs against the Lucknow Super Giants. Stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma‘s 85 not out sealed RCB’s seventh consecutive away win.

Bengaluru registered a six-wicket win, and Jitesh got the Player of the Match award. Opening the batting with Phil Salt, Virat faced 30 balls and hit 10 fours in his aggressive knock. While he failed to win the game, his contribution provided a platform for the middle order to capitalize on.

Karthik called Virat a genius par excellence and spoke about his longevity in the IPL. “He has got 9000 runs, meaning 500 runs a season. It is a hard task to keep churning out runs season after season. I was hitting a few balls at him, and the speed at which it came back shows the passion and intensity of the man. The boys and girls willing to play sports can learn from him. Forget about cricket. Just see the dedication and hard work with every minute you spend in the sport. He is a walking example of that,” Karthik told Star Sports.

While Kohli was sensational, it was Jitesh whose batting changed the fortunes of the game in RCB’s favor. He hit fours and sixes at will in his 33-ball knock.

Mayank Agarwal also played a key added more than 100 runs with Jitesh. Earlier, LSG reached 227/3, thanks to a hundred by their captain Rishabh Pant.

Meanwhile, Virat has taken his run tally to 602 runs in 14 matches and is currently fifth in the Orange Cap race. RCB will now face Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1 on May 29.

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