Published 10:54 IST, May 19th 2023
'Similar how I used to feel with AB'; Virat Kohli opens up on his rapport with du Plessis
Virat Kohli opened up on his camaraderie with RCB skipper Faf du Plessis, while recalling his iconic partnership with former Bangalore superstar AB de Villiers.
Advertisement
Virat Kohli conquered the cricketing world with his sixth Indian Premier League century on Friday. The 34-year-old hit 100 runs in 63 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium and helped Royal Challengers Bangalore climb to fourth in the standings, surpassing Mumbai Indians. Alongside Kohli’s century, skipper Faf du Plessis’ 71 off 47 meant RCB chased down the target of 187 runs in the final over with eight wickets remaining in hand.
The run chase witnessed Virat Kohli and du Plessis stitch together a 172-run stand for the first wicket, which went on to enter several record books. After being awarded the player of the match, Kohli opened up on his seemingly invincible partnership with the Proteas cricketer. This was the second-highest opening partnership of all time for RCB, while also being the fourth highest opening stand during a chase in the IPL.
On being asked to comment on his partnership with the Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper, Kohli jokingly referred to their tattoos, before mentioning AB de Villiers. “I think it's the tattoos. We almost have 900 runs together this season. Very similar how I used to feel with AB and me batting together. Just an understanding of where the game is going and what needs to be done,” the former RCB captain told the match presenter.
Faf du Plessis opens up on complementing Virat Kohli on the pitch
“Having an experienced guy who's captained at the international level - it's been a beautiful transition for us coming together for RCB at the top and making an impact,” he added. This was the third-century stand for Kohli and du Plessis in IPL 2023, which helped them overtake Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2023 points table with each team set to play one more game each in the league stage.
Meanwhile, at the post-match presentation show, skipper Faf also shed light on batting alongside Kohli. “We complement each other really well. We play in very different areas so it's difficult to bowl to. We're good mates on and off the field. We're going back to Chinnaswamy which will be an amazing game. A lot of fans coming in and another must-win for us,” he said.
10:54 IST, May 19th 2023