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Kevin De Bruyne and Haaland: Phil Salt cites Man City reference to describe his equation with RCB icon Virat Kohli originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Phil Salt hailed Virat Kohli as the most complete player he has ever played with.
- He likened their partnership to the Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland link at Man City.
- The pair helped RCB win back-to-back IPL titles, opening together in 2025 and 2026.
Kevin De Bruyne and Haaland: Phil Salt cites Man City reference to describe his equation with Virat Kohli
When a player of Phil Salt's destructive quality reserves his highest praise for a teammate, it is worth taking notice. The England opener has lifted the lid on his prolific partnership with Virat Kohli, painting a glowing picture of the Indian superstar's cricketing brain.
The pair opened the batting together for Royal Challengers Bengaluru across the last two seasons, forging an alliance that helped fire the franchise to back-to-back IPL titles. Speaking on The Super Over podcast, Salt detailed exactly what makes batting alongside Kohli so special.
To capture the depth of their on-field understanding, Salt reached for a striking analogy from the world of football. He compared his telepathic connection with Kohli to the famous on-field equation between the former Manchester City attacking pair of Kevin De Bruyne and Erling Haaland.
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Phil Salt is in awe of Virat Kohli's clarity
Salt's admiration for his opening partner knows no bounds. "He's easily the most complete player that I've ever played with or watched on TV or anything. I don't think there's anything you can't do," Salt said of Kohli, hailing him as the finest in the world. With 9,336 runs in the IPL, it won't be a stretch to say the RCB icon is the best batsman in the league's history.
But what stands out most, however, is Kohli's decisiveness in the heat of battle. "The clarity is one that stands out. He's not shy of running down the wicket to me and telling me, 'This is the time. Kill him. This is the over. Finish it now'," Salt explained.
The Englishman recalled a telling moment from this year's IPL at Eden Gardens. With the pair struggling early, Kohli walked over between overs with a simple instruction.
"He just said, Kill him. That's all he said. He just knew that at that point in time this was my matchup." It was here that Salt drew his football parallel.
"When De Bruyne was playing with Haaland, it's almost like he knew exactly where Haaland would be," he said, adding that "to have someone batting with you who can read the game on your behalf sometimes, it's massive."
Premier League fans know just how crucial the Belgian playmaker had been during Manchester City's treble-winning season in 2022-23, as he and Haaland made the perfect attacking duo. For Salt, Kohli played that same role for him over the past two seasons.
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A rare cricketing connection
Salt's analogy offers a fascinating window into elite sporting partnerships. The idea of a teammate reading the game on your behalf, common in fluid sports like football, is remarkably rare in cricket, where batting can often feel like a lonely, individual pursuit at the crease.
It also speaks volumes about Kohli's enduring greatness. For a young, explosive talent like Salt to credit the veteran's game awareness for unlocking his own aggression underlines that Kohli's genius extends far beyond his own bat, elevating those fortunate enough to partner him.
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