The ‘gentleman gesture’ was made by Rajasthan Royals head coach Rahul Dravid at the conclusion of the team’s IPL 2025 match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Rahul Dravid, the head coach of the Rajasthan Royals, won hearts online with his “gentleman gesture” following Sunday’s IPL 2025 match against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Dravid, who was using crutches, also stepped inside the ground for the traditional handshake between the two sides at the conclusion of the game. When Virat Kohli spotted the Indian great, he asked him not to approach the players since they would approach him on their own. But a modest Dravid turned down his plea and continued. Eventually, a few RCB players approached Dravid for the traditional handshake.
In the IPL in Jaipur on Sunday, Royal Challengers Bengaluru easily defeated Rajasthan Royals by nine wickets thanks to Phil Salt’s scorching 33-ball 65 as the foundation and Virat Kohli’s 100th T20 fifty as the last touch.
Even though Rajasthan Royals’ 173/4 total featured a brilliant 75 off 47 balls from young India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal, RCB’s choice to bowl first paid off on a track that remained low and generated varying bounce.
The hosts were taken aback by Salt’s counterattack on a slow, sticky Sawai Mansingh Stadium ground where creating strokes was extremely difficult.In his first innings, he hit six sixes and five fours, putting pressure on RR’s bowlers right away.
Following his attack and Kohli’s cool, undefeated 62 not out off 45 balls (4×4, 2×6), RCB easily chased down 174, completing the task in only 17.3 overs.
All four of RCB’s victories this season have come on the road.
From the first over, Salt showed his intentions by top-edging Jofra Archer for a six and surviving a close lbw shout.He stormed to his second fifty of the season in just 28 balls, bringing the needed target under 100 in the eighth over. He was always shuffled across the stumps to reach the leg-side.
He experienced lucky breaks along the road. In a challenging return catch attempt on 23, a strong flick bounced off Sandeep Sharma’s outstretched hand.
Jaiswal later missed a hard low chance at cover on 40, which gave him a chance to run out, but the stumps were not touched. Those mistakes cost the Royals dearly, according to Salt.
Kohli, on the other hand, was content to play second fiddle and started conservatively, hitting just seven off his first six balls.He also had an early life; Riyan Parag knocked down a simple opportunity at mid-off after Sandeep misplayed his slower ball. However, the legendary batter for the RCB recovered swiftly and became comfortable in his anchor position.
With 65 runs coming on the powerplay alone, the pair put together a 92-run opening stand that swung the match in RCB’s favor.
RCB needed just 82 from 68 balls after Salt was eventually bowled out by Kumar Kartikeya for 65.
Kohli took control after that, plucking off the boundaries with surgical accuracy and pacing his innings with 25 singles.Dancing down the track to loft Wanindu Hasaranga right over his head for a boundary, he celebrated his historic 100th T20 fifty in style. The victory was unquestionably sealed when that over, the fifteenth of the innings, yielded 14 runs and reduced the equation to 28 off 30 balls.
Kohli now has 100 fifties and nine centuries from 405 T20 matches.
While some around him battled, 23-year-old Jaiswal handled the slow track with grace, hitting 10 fours and two sixes earlier.Following a well-controlled opening burst from Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jaiswal started to open up in the fifth over, hitting Dayal for a six and a four.
He stitched a 56-run partnership with Riyan Parag (30 off 18) in just 39 balls, and scored his second fifty of the season in 35 balls.
When Dayal missed a regulation chance at point on 13, Parag was unable to capitalize on a life, despite appearing fluid with a six and three boundaries.
He was eventually caught off guard by Dayal’s deftly disguised slower back-of-the-hand delivery, which he miscued to Kohli at short cover.Due to tight bowling and seven dot balls, Sanju Samson (13 off 16) had a rough stay. After misjudging a low delivery from Krunal Pandya, he was eventually stumped after surviving an early run-out opportunity.
Jaiswal’s creative strokeplay, which included a lap and a reverse sweep, kept the scoreboard moving.
Missing a sweep and getting stuck plumb in front, he even scooped Hazlewood for a six over fine leg before falling to him in the same over.
Dhruv Jurel (35* off 23) made a helpful cameo in the final overs, but he took a little to get going and used up a number of dots too soon.
