Former Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik lavished rich praise on Virat Kohli, his former India and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) teammate. He stated that Kohli is a man and a player made to grab the big moments.

Karthik has taken on the role of expert and pundit since he retired from international and IPL cricket. He talked candidly about Virat Kohli, what makes the former India captain unique, and his relationship with him during the Beard Before Wicket podcast.

“I think he is a man who is made for the big moments because he wants it more than anybody else. There are people who, when the big moment comes, are like, ‘Oh, what do I do?’ And he, before the start of the game, wants that moment to be his. That is a mindset," Karthik said on the Beard Before Wicket podcast.

As per Karthik, Kohli is a serial winner, and his will to fight is what makes him earn respect and admiration.

“He’s again a serial winner wherever he’s played. Be it the U19 World Cup, the 2011 World Cup, the 2024 T20 World Cup, or the Champions Trophy winner (twice). The IPL was the last one, so to say that he’s played so many years and not achieved, and he eventually went on to achieve that as well. Ended up as the highest run getter for RCB,” Karthik said.

“He is a man who enjoys winning more than anything else in life. So he’s one of those. I genuinely admire that quality in him, the will to fight and not back down for a second. That’s a trait you got to learn from that man. That is an unbelievable characteristic," he added.

When asked about Kohli's personality, Karthik responded that the right-handed batter is a fun-loving individual off the field but a hard competitor on it.

“He’s a fierce competitor but a fun-loving guy outside of it. He’s just a normal human being like any one of us. It’s just that he is an extraordinary world champion batter. That’s one side of him. The other side of him is a normal human being who is from Delhi and who cracks those jokes like any Delhiite would. A great family man, and I have immense respect for him, and I’ve always had a very good, healthy, respectful relationship with him all through.

Yes, I’m a bit older than him. But it’s not the age difference that has earned me the respect we have in the relationship. It’s just how we have treated one another over a period of time, and we’ve seen some proper ups and proper lows as well. And I think what I see in him is the boy that I saw when I met him for the first time, and I have loved his growth in the sport," Karthik said.

Virat Kohli will be seen in action for Delhi in the Vijay Hazare Trophy one-day competition.