“Be nice against RCB” - Dinesh Karthik’s hilarious wish for Indian batter ahead of IPL 2025

Veteran wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik praised Tilak Varma for his recent run of form in T20Is, particularly the match-winning knock in the second T20I against England at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai. The young left-handed batter has cemented his place in the batting unit on the back of consecutive hundreds during the tour of South Africa and is looking in ominous touch.

Tilak Varma single-handedly guided India in the tricky run chase by scoring an unbeaten 72 off 55 deliveries. The Men in Blue secured a narrow win by two wickets and extended their lead to 2-0 in the five-match series.

Dinesh Karthik urged Tilak Varma to go easy against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the upcoming 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. After retiring from the competition in 2024, the veteran has been appointed as the franchise's batting coach and mentor.

"Brilliant innings, great understanding of what the situation required. Hats off to him. Really like him as a player. I just wish he grows from strength to strength. Be nice against RCB, Tilak. He always does well against us," Dinesh Karthik said on Cricbuzz

Tilak Varma scored a stunning unbeaten 84 in the Mumbai Indians' (MI) IPL 2023 season opener against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB). It remains his highest score in the competition to date. Overall, he has scored 100 runs in three outings at an average of 100, and a strike rate of 169.49.

"100% he is captaincy material, no doubt about it" - Dinesh Karthik rates Shreyas Iyer as a future leadership candidate

Recently named Punjab Kings captain, Shreyas Iyer has garnered a reputation for being one of the most reliable leaders in the Indian cricket circuit. He had led the Delhi Capitals (DC) to the finals in IPL 2020 and won the title with the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2024.

However, despite a transition on the horizon, he has not been seriously considered as an option to lead the national side.

"I don't think Iyer is being overlooked. The moment he is sure of making the playing XI consistently, there is a great chance he will be captain. 100% he is captaincy material, no doubt about it. He has been picked in the ODI squad, I really wish BCCI are not ignoring him," Karthik said of Iyer

Iyer recently led Mumbai to the 2024-25 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy in November-December too.