"The phenomenal drive to excel and keep raising the bar is a hallmark of Virat Kohli" - RCB head coach Sanjay Bangar

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) head coach Sanjay Bangar lavished praise on Virat Kohli's hunger to keep improving despite being one of the top players in the world. The 50-year-old thinks such signs are fantastic for RCB.

After a mixed home international season, Kohli started IPL 2023 with scores of 82*, 21, and 61 in the first three games. The right-hander's form is critical to the franchise's fortunes as he is the highest run-getter in the tournament's history with 6788 runs in 226 matches at 36.69.

When asked about Kohli's approach, Bangar observed that the former RCB skipper can approach his innings any way he wishes to as he is a phenomenal player, regardless of the format. The former Indian all-rounder reckons that Kohli's desire to keep improving sets him apart.

"He is somebody who is constantly on the way to improving or at least excelling in whatever he does. The phenomenal drive to excel and keep raising the bar is a hallmark of Virat Kohli and the way he's approached his cricket. So, obviously, he has conquered some challenging phases in Test and one-day cricket."

Bangar added:

"He has shown that when he wants to play T20 cricket in a particular fashion, he can easily do it. So, he is a formidable player in any format of the game. I think he's continued to excel and raise the bar, which I think is a great thing for RCB."

Kohli's 973 runs in the 2016 IPL edition is still the most by a player in a single season. Jos Buttler's 863 runs in IPL 2022 is the closest anyone has got to since then.

"You do it to a point where you know it's novelty" - RCB gloveman Dinesh Karthik on team-bonding excercises

Dinesh Karthik. (Image Credits: Twitter)

When asked how critical team-bonding events are, Karthik opined that it should happen reasonably frequently as it can be a learning opportunity for youngsters on the team.

"It is important. You got to understand that in events like those when you're going there casually for an evening, that's where some of the most important conversations can be had. A lot of the young boys coming and spending time with the senior pros. You do it to a point where you know it's novelty and you're enjoying."

However, the veteran reckons that doing it regularly can become hectic for the players, adding:

"If you do it a bit too much, it can become very detrimental because there's so much happening in IPL, there's so many ad shoots and events, so don't want to keep piling up. As long as it's a novelty, where you know some young boys and some senior pros are going to have some interesting conversations and you feel the mood of the camp requires it, by all means, it should happen."

RCB will lock horns with the Delhi Capitals on Saturday at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.