Former England captains Michael Atherton and Naseer Hussain pointedly criticized Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) mentor Dinesh Karthik after his lively discussion with Virat Kohli during the IPL 2025 final against Punjab Kings (PBKS). The criticism stemmed from Karthik’s brief exchange with Kohli during a strategic timeout, which proved ineffective, as the star batter was dismissed in the next over. Karthik found himself in an uncomfortable situation, attempting to sidestep the question.
“Before the final, I had a feeling that if RCB emerged victorious, you would be the one at the front, holding the trophy, and that’s exactly how it played out. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli was at the back, but you still won the trophy.”
“Then, in that final, something caught my attention. During a strategic break, you spent significant time talking to Virat Kohli while he was at the crease. I noticed you gesturing towards him for quite some time, and in the following over, he was dismissed. What exactly did you say to him?” he asked.
“That’s probably the toughest question I’ve ever been asked on a podcast. At least I can handle the first part. But for the second, I’m trying to think carefully, without putting myself in danger by giving the wrong answer,” Karthik responded.
Naseer Hussain also had his moment when Karthik found it difficult to respond straightforwardly to Michael Atherton’s question. The former England captain commented during the same conversation:
“I think it’s the first time I’ve seen you speechless. You’re not saying anything.”
“I was just wondering, what could this man possibly be telling one of the greatest batters in cricket history? What advice could he offer him? And then I realised that whatever he said didn’t work, because he was out in the next over,” Naseer Hussain said.
Virat Kohli led the run tally for RCB in the IPL 2025 final, scoring 43 runs from 25 balls. The 36-year-old was the team’s highest run-scorer in the 18th edition of the T20 league, accumulating 657 runs across 15 innings, which included eight half-centuries.