Kohli is batting as well as he has ever done in IPL: Karthik

Dinesh Karthik defends RCB batters' ability against spin, praises Kohli's form, and CSK's strategic decision-making in IPL.

Dinesh Karthik is no stranger to the city of Chennai. The pre-match press conference ahead of the IPL match between Chennai Super Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru started with homeboy Karthik jokingly commenting, in his native tongue Tamil, on the irony of him representing the Bengaluru outfit.

The mentor, however, was quick to defend his wards, especially Virat Kohli, when he was asked whether RCB batters had any issues tackling spin.

“Problem playing spin? I don’t think there is any problem. One of our strengths, I believe, is the way we play spin. And as this tournament unfolds, you will see it happen. CSK has three good spinners, no doubt. But we also have very good competent batters,” Karthik said at the MAC Stadium on Thursday.

“He (Kohli) is coming off some serious runs in the Champions Trophy. He has batted well in the recent past against spin, especially in white-ball cricket. He is batting as well as he has ever done in the IPL,” Karthik emphasised.

CSK had surprised many by dropping captain Ruturaj Gaikwad to No. 3 and sending Rahul Tripathi out to open the batting alongside Rachin Ravindra in its season opener against Mumbai Indians. Head coach Stephen Fleming assured the decision to tinker with the order was not taken on a whim.

“Most of our decisions are collective… the captain has a big say and nothing is done in isolation. It’s not a quick plan… this is something we talked about way back in the auction room,” Fleming said.