Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Virat Kohli praised his side’s sharp, forward-thinking brand of T20 cricket after they beat Lucknow Super Giants, while also making it clear that the team still has work to do—especially when it comes to avoiding batting collapses. Speaking to the group in the dressing room after Wednesday’s victory, Kohli stressed that RCB’s success came from staying proactive even after an early jolt, pointing directly to the dismissal of opener Phil Salt.
In a video released by the franchise on Wednesday, Kohli said the message inside the camp was to seize control early and prevent the opposition from settling. “Guys, another good win for us, I won’t keep it long at all. I think we were quite professional with the back, conscious effort to try and take the game away from the opposition early on. After we lost Salty, the idea was to press back counter-attack and not give them a sniff in the game and we ended up doing that,” Kohli said.
Kohli also reflected on how RCB have built their batting approach this season around counter-attacking rather than simply surviving through pressure. He highlighted that a key strength has been the smooth shift of momentum from one batter to the next—something he believes has consistently helped the team stay on top when overs get tight.
“Again, the handover of momentum from one guy to the other is something that’s working really nicely for us. When Rajat came in, of course, he recovered again and played some amazing shots. In small periods of pressure, we chose the right shots, put the pressure right back on the opposition and we just stay ahead of the game at all times,” Kohli added.
With skipper Rajat Patidar setting the tone through his positive intent, RCB ensured Lucknow never truly got the chance to wrest back control during the chase. However, Kohli maintained that even in a comfortable win, the team can improve—particularly after a brief middle-order wobble that momentarily disrupted the pursuit.
From his own viewpoint and as part of the batting unit, Kohli suggested he would have preferred RCB to finish with fewer wickets lost, while admitting he doesn’t like seeing collapses. He also acknowledged Romario Shepherd’s contribution, saying it was good to see the left-arm pacer get time at the crease and help close out the match. Kohli further noted that Krunal Pandya is the only player left to receive game time, hinting that more celebration could follow in their next outing. “From a personal perspective and also from a batting group perspective, I think I would have liked to see us finish with two or three down. I don’t like seeing collapses, but bloody well done and good to see Sheppy (Romario Shepherd) finally get some time with the back and finish the game off. KP (Krunal Pandya) is the only one left now, so everyone gets some game time and then we’ll probably see a celebration next time. Well done, very professional, we’ll keep moving ahead,” Kohli said.
