‘As a leader, Rajat Patidar has absorbed the pressure well’: RCB skipper Dinesh Karthik opens

Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar. (NOT a photo) BENGALURU: From being one of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s most reliable finishers to a key figure in the backdrop of the defending IPL champions, Dinesh Karthik has witnessed the evolution of the franchise at first hand.In a casual chat with TOI, the 40-year-old mentor and RCB batsman spoke about the mindset of champions in the team, captain Rajat Patidar becoming a calm leader and coaching international stars. excerpts:The mindset of a defending champion teamAt the beginning, each player was given a structure that outlines what they should do. In terms of results, there were bound to be ups and downs, so the key was to make sure we were doing the things we were good at very well and the things we could improve on. We’re constantly working on it and improving, and that’s a good thing to look at in this tournament. It’s a long tournament and it’s important to stay fresh.The evolution of a Patidar as a captainIt was heartening to see him remain the same person: cool, calm and relaxed on and off the pitch. As a leader, he absorbs pressure well without showing it, which is commendable.He’s still the person he was before he became captain, which says a lot about him. I played with him and have a good relationship. Seeing how he has succeeded as a batsman as well as a captain makes me very proud.Coming of age Devdutt PadikkalHe has always been an outstanding batsman for Karnataka and across formats. But in the IPL I think he wanted to change certain areas of his game that he’s been working on straight away and we’ve been quite happy to help as a group and you can see the results on the field, the confidence and the way he’s batting. It’s always a good sign when a young guy like this understands what it takes to take his game to the next level and asks for suggestions and opinions, but does it his way. He is a strong man. I believe he is a great talent and it is great to see that talent develop into something very special for the team.On the difference between coaching Indian and international playersYou have to adapt differently to international players. For example, Tim David is very different from Romario Shepherd, so you have to understand both and where they come from. They are very independent people so you have to see what works for them and sometimes less can be more and I try to say very little unless I am required to talk a lot. I learned a lot from Andy (Flower) and Mo (Bobat) about how they handle different players and their character traits. They are very different from the ones I have with Indian players, but one is full of respect.About ranking among the best coaches by Phil SaltPhil has obviously traveled the world and worked with many trainers. It was nice to see him acknowledge that something I said helped him. My role was to understand what Phil was doing and help him improve his game. He was open to discussing areas for improvement, which allowed me to provide useful feedback. Such open relations with foreign players are always rewarding. Conversations you have with players on the bench. Being in the top 11 or 12 of the IPL does not define you as a player. These are team combinations; if you are not in, it does not reduce your value. Avoid thinking about the selection status.About modifying finishersThe finisher role is a secondary role. It’s tough because you end up not facing as many deliveries as top order pasta. So you have to understand what it means to do well and adopt certain ways to get out of it. This is very important to be a good finisher because you are taking a lot of risk for most of the innings you play. So you have to be well aware of what success means, being a finisher and sometimes how failures can actually be quite misleading. The challenge is to understand and treat both equally. The way you train and prepare for the game is also extremely important.

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