“Better To Play With Virat Kohli Than Against Him”: Faf Du Plessis. Explains Why

Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli have been two of the most consistent performers for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season. The duo have not just complimented each other with the bat but also been pillars of support for each other off the field. In an exclusive conversation with NDTV, RCB skipper Faf du Plesiss opened up on his affection for Kohli, not just in terms of the player he is but also his personality off the field.

“The biggest thing about Virat is his passion. I always admire playing against Virat. The amount of passion that he has, for every wicket that falls, he would be on a 10-on-10 for every wicket. I wonder how this guy is always passionate, even if a numer 11 player gets out. I was in awe of the amount of passion that he has, playing the game of cricket. Now being on the same team as him, I can tell you that playing with him is better than playing against him,” Du Plessis said during the chat.

Du Plessis said that he would always prefer to play with Kohli than against him as the passion the latter shows on the field can fuel people in the opponent team too.

“When you are playing against him, sometimes, that passion can fuel you as well. I’ve been on the other side of that. Whereas if you play with him, it’s such a great thing. You feel that passion batting with him, and it’s really really infectious. It makes you wanna give your absolute best all the time as well. It’s been great to know the player behind the cricket player and the person behind the cricket player. He is an extremely generous, kind-hearted man. Also a family-oriented like myself. We have become really good friends. We share a lot of similar interests, family driven, passion and tattoos,” said the South African.

For the record, Du Plessis is the top-scoring batter in the IPL 2023 season at present, scoring 631 runs in 12 matches at an average of 57.36 and a strike-rate of 154.27.