Faf du Plessis was all praise for Virat Kohli after taking over from the Indian batting maestro as the new captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore ahead of the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League.
The experienced South African batter lauded his predecessor for his captaincy influence on Indian cricket. He believes Kohli has transformed the way India play their game on the field.
The 37-year-old said while Kohli’s batting contributions put him among the greatest to have graced the game, his captaincy has also left its stamp on Indian cricket, making the team fitter and more attacking through his style.
“He (Kohli) has changed Indian cricket. I have seen that happen over time. Playing against India for so long, I could see that shift, his leadership footprint has brought in the Indian team — a competitive, fit Indian team that was fighting fire with fire as no Indian team ever did before.”
Du Plessis said during RCB’s ‘Unbox’ event in Bangalore.
The respect for each other seems mutual, as Kohli had earlier showered praise on Du Plessis and said he couldn’t be happier passing on the baton to his longstanding friend, who happens to be an experienced South African batter with strong captaincy credentials across formats.
Kohli quit RCB’s captaincy after a nine-year tenure at the helm at the end of the IPL 2021. The decision was taken around the time he also put a timer on his stay as India’s T20I captain, a position he let go after the T20 World Cup in UAE, citing workload concerns.
Du Plessis, who was released by Chennai Super Kings despite falling only two runs short of wearing the ‘Orange Cup’ for the season, will kick-off his journey as RCB skipper with their opening game against Punjab Kings on March 27.
