table of contents
When the England cricket team was under pressure due to its coaching team led by Brendon McCullum, Phil Salt praised Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batting coach and mentor Dinesh Karthik.
The England international opening batsman praised Dinesh Karthik’s intelligence as a coach. Without hesitation, Phil Salt said that Karthik is one of the best coaches he has worked with.
Dinesh Karthik told how he used to manage the players
A few weeks after Salt’s reaction, Dinesh Karthik expressed his views on the batsman’s opinion. Speaking to Times of India (TOI), the former Indian keeper-batsman said that an open relationship between a cricketer and a coach always helps both the parties to improve themselves. If a player and a coach improve in their respective areas, it will ultimately be helpful for the team. The RCB coach mentioned that Salt is one of those players who is always ready to talk to improve his game, which makes Karthik’s job easier.
“Phil has obviously traveled the world and worked with many coaches. It was great to see him acknowledge that something I said helped him. My role was to understand what Phil was going through and help him raise his game. He was willing to discuss areas of improvement, which empowered me to give useful feedback,” said Dinesh Karthik.
Karthik’s comments on Phil Salt come ahead of the IPL 2026 final, where RCB will face either Rajasthan Royals or Gujarat Titans. Phil Salt missed several games during the group stage of matches due to injury. He went back to England for treatment and then rejoined the team before the playoffs. It is not clear whether he will play in the final on May 31 or not.
Open relations with foreign players are always beneficial: Karthik
Dinesh Karthik further mentioned that without the proper team combination, it would be difficult for any team to achieve success in the league. It is more important to bring good results through team game than individual performance. Former cricketers advise to stop thinking too much about the selection situation.
“Such open relationships with overseas players are always beneficial. Your interactions with the players on the bench. Being in the top 11 or 12 of the IPL doesn’t define you as a player. It’s about the team combination; if you’re not in it, it doesn’t diminish your value. Avoid thinking too much about your selection status,” the RCB coach said.
What did Phil Salt say about Dinesh Karthik?
In the first week of April, the franchise shared an official video where Phil Salt made big statements about the coach. The experienced batsman discussed some commendable aspects of coach Dinesh Karthik.
Phil Salt praised Karthik, saying, “This is the best coaching experience I’ve had in a long time. I appreciate that you care, DK. There’s no sarcasm in that.”
“DK, the mastermind, is very detailed, very good. It’s very easy to get all the information from Freddy (Wild) and the coaching staff and put it on the pitch, that’s probably his biggest strength,” Salt said.
Read More: Mohammad Kaif demands major changes in captaincy after IPL 2026; Rishabh Pant and Hardik Pandya were dropped