Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) assistant coach Vijay Dahiya lauded Virat Kohli’s intensity, awareness and relentless mindset following their five-wicket victory over Gujarat Titans (GT) on April 25.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Dahiya emphasised Kohli’s exceptional approach to the game, noting that his energy and awareness extend beyond skill and game sense. “I think it’s amazing. If you look at his energy… his awareness, his energy and his willingness,” he said. Dahiya added that despite his performance, Kohli expressed dissatisfaction, revealing, “After the game… he was disappointed, saying he could have converted this to a 100.”
Dahiya attributed this mindset to Kohli’s high standards, stating the batter made a challenging pitch appear easy through his dominance. “Kohli made the surface look easy. It wasn’t an easy sort of a wicket… when you’re commanding the situation, you make the bowler bowl where you want,” he explained.
Highlighting Kohli’s ability to apply pressure, Dahiya remarked, “That willingness to do well… his mindset sets him apart from a lot of other people.” He also underscored Kohli’s fitness and work ethic, noting the veteran continues to encourage younger teammates on the field. “He’s still one of the best runners… pushing youngsters to take two,” he said.
Describing Kohli as “Ziddi” in the right sense, Dahiya characterised his inner drive as a determination to continue improving. “He’s not playing to prove a point to anyone. It’s ‘man in the mirror’… he wants to be better than what he was yesterday,” he added.
During the match, chasing 206 runs, RCB faced early pressure as GT pacer Mohammed Siraj dismissed opener Jacob Bethell in the third over, leaving RCB at 26/1. However, Kohli scored 81 runs off 44 balls, including a classic half-century, and received strong support from Devdutt Padikkal, who scored 55 off 27 balls. Their partnership yielded 115 runs in 59 balls, maintaining control of the required run rate.
Following the quick fall of Kohli and Padikkal, Rashid Khan and Manav Suthar took crucial wickets, restricting RCB to 175/5 after 16 overs. The middle order faltered with the dismissals of Rajat Patidar (8) and Jitesh Sharma (10). With 31 runs needed from the final four overs, Krunal Pandya emerged as a decisive figure, remaining unbeaten on 23 runs from 12 balls.
Krunal aggressively targeted the bowlers, scoring 15 runs off the 18th over and significantly easing the chase. Tim David contributed an unbeaten 10 runs from 9 balls. In the 19th over, Krunal secured the win by pulling a short ball from Jason Holder for a single to deep square leg, reaching 206/5 in 18.5 overs.
The victory earned RCB two crucial points, elevating them to second place in the IPL 2026 standings with 10 points from seven matches, comprising five wins and two losses.