Chennai, March 29 Phil Salt has opened up about his partnership with Virat Kohli at Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), revealing that the franchise was very clear about his role when they secured him in the IPL 2025 auction.
Following the departure of former captain Faf du Plessis, RCB needed a new opening partner for Kohli, and Salt was identified as the ideal fit. The English wicketkeeper-batter has played a crucial role in RCB’s opening two matches, adopting an aggressive approach to allow Kohli to settle into his innings. During their win over Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Chepauk on Friday, the duo added 45 runs in just five overs, setting a strong foundation. Despite Kohli struggling to accelerate early on, Salt took charge, executing his role to perfection.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Salt emphasised that his job is to take the pressure off the rest of the lineup by making the most of the powerplay. "Yeah, that's definitely part of it. It's been made very clear to me why I'm here at RCB and what they were looking for in the auction to partner with Virat. The dynamics of the partnership. I'm very aware of. It's to be aggressive and to sort of take the pressure off the rest of the guys. Especially when you come somewhere like here. If you don't take advantage of those early seam overs, then you can be left up against it when the spin comes on, and they can really take control of the game. Yeah, it was very key here and that was spoken about," said Salt.
RCB’s victory at Chepauk was particularly special, marking their first win at the venue since 2008. Salt shared an amusing moment with his teammates when he came across an article listing all the significant events that had taken place since RCB’s last triumph in Chennai.
"Yeah, it was actually at breakfast. Some sort of an article came up on my phone, and it was all the things that have happened since RCB beat CSK here. (We had) a pretty light-hearted conversation. There wasn't too much in it. But yeah, it's a good win.
"To beat the champions in their home ground, and then come here, which is a very, very tough place to come and get a win, we're really happy with the fact that we're sitting two games, four points, obviously with a boost in the net run rate as well. But we're very aware of how good a side CSK are, especially at home, so we're pleased," said Salt.
With two consecutive wins under their belt, RCB currently sits atop the points table. Their next challenge will be against Gujarat Titans at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on April 2, where Salt and Kohli will look to continue their strong opening partnership.
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