Swastik Chikara is yet to play a game for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in IPL 2025, but the young batter is already making his presence felt in the dressing room, at least according to Virat Kohli.
The Uttar Pradesh cricketer, who was previously featured in the Delhi Capitals squad, described Kohli as his "big brother" and said he enjoys being around the former RCB skipper. However, it seems Kohli isn’t always thrilled with the constant attention.
In a light-hearted video posted by RCB on social media, Kohli was asked to name a teammate he would or wouldn’t want to share a room with.
"I wouldn't say it's Swastik Chikara. Because he doesn't leave me alone, so, definitely not him," Kohli replied.
While Swastik has yet to feature in a match this season, the 20-year-old has drawn attention through his impressive showing in the Uttar Pradesh T20 League, where he amassed 499 runs in just 12 innings. Hailing from Ghaziabad, Swastik continues to wait for his opportunity in a star-studded RCB lineup.
"He's got that mischief about him": Kohli impressed with Jitesh Sharma
Though ruled out sharing a room with Swastik, he didn’t hesitate to name someone he would like to spend more time with: RCB's big-money recruit Jitesh Sharma.
The wicketkeeper-batter joined the franchise for INR 11 crore at the IPL 2025 auction and has delivered consistent performances with the bat whenever he has got an opportunity.
"But one guy I think is really funny, but he's not opened up with me properly, is Jitesh [Sharma]. I would want to see that really fun, raw side of him because I can see it in his eyes, he's got that mischief about him. He's very street smart, you can see on the field, he finds different ways of looking at things. So, I would like to get to know him more," Kohli said.
Jitesh has already featured in games, scoring 851 runs at a blistering strike rate of 150.6. In the current season, he has contributed 121 runs at a strike rate of 147.56, adding depth to the RCB middle order.
Also READ:
RCB will return to action on Saturday, when they face Chennai Super Kings at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. With seven wins from ten matches, the Faf du Plessis-led side currently sits third on the points table.
