"Giving water is a good thing" - RCB youngster hits back at trolls over not getting to play in IPL 2025

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) youngster Swastik Chikara has responded to trolling during IPL 2025. Rajat Patidar’s side clinched their maiden title that season after an 18-year wait, while Chikara remained on the bench throughout.

However, the 20-year-old gained attention for being around Virat Kohli and faced trolling for being his water boy. He recently appeared on a YouTube podcast with CricXtasy, released on Sunday, September 7, where he shared his thoughts on the trolls, stating:

“Now tell me one thing. I wasn’t even playing, right? My job was to take care of the players, give them water, look after them, carry towels, or do anything else needed for the team. I just wanted to give my best, what’s the problem in that? That was my job, and giving water is a good thing. What’s wrong with that? At home, do you not give water to anyone, or wherever you are? In cricket, everyone gives water, who doesn’t?”

“For me, it felt great. I was giving water to the best players, the world’s number one player (Virat Kohli), with my own hands. He drank water from my hands. What could be better than that? I really enjoyed it, and he drank it,” he added.

Meanwhile, Virat Kohli stood out as RCB’s leading run-scorer, racking up 657 runs in 15 innings, including eight fifties.

“If you make even one mistake, anything can happen” - Swastik Chikara heaps high praise on RCB skipper

In the same conversation, Swastik Chikara also praised captain Rajat Patidar for guiding RCB to victory in his first season as skipper. The 20-year-old said:

“He showed really excellent captaincy. I mean, handling such a big team, and it was his first time captaining in the IPL, and he didn’t take any pressure at all. He managed everything very well, every decision happening in the match. It’s a huge thing, bro, and captaining RCB comes with its own pressure. The fan base is so strong that if you make even one mistake, anything can happen in two minutes.”

Rajat captained the side in 13 matches during the season, winning 10 and losing just three.

About the author

Dev Sharma is a cricket journalist at Sportskeeda with over three years of experience. He completed his Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Mass Communication and has previously worked at Times Now as a sports writer.

His degree has empowered him with a good understanding of ethics in journalism and effective interviewing techniques, which he employs in his articles. He researches and verifies facts from multiple sources and remains impartial in his viewpoints. He has had the privilege of interviewing renowned sports journalist Vijay Lokapally.

Dev loves cricket because of its ability to keep spectators on the edge of their seats and its ability to foster a sense of community and shared passion. He is a staunch supporter of the Indian cricket team and his favorite cricketer is Yuvraj Singh, especially after he hit those iconic six sixes in an over in 2007. He also admires Rohit Sharma’s leadership as he led Mumbai Indians to five IPL titles and Team India to the T20 World Cup.

When he’s not working, Dev enjoys watching football or catching up on his sleep.

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Edited by Dev Sharma