Faf du Plessis was a happy man after getting Royal Challengers Bengaluru off to a first win of IPL 2024 against Punjab Kings on Monday. The South African batter who is leading the RCB side couldn’t quite get going himself but it didn’t matter in the end as Virat Kohli slammed a half-century and Dinesh Karthik took the team over the line while chasing a target of 177. Du Plessis after the match heaped praises on Virat Kohli. Speaking at the post-match presentation, Du Plessis said Kohli’s passion for cricket remains as strong as ever.
Kohli, who had a disappointing outing against Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2024 opener, was in his elements on Sunday on a surface that was not easy to bat on. The Indian batter played a fantastic innings of 77 runs off 49 runs. His innings provided a platform for Dinesh Karthik and Mahipal Lomror to finish the game off.
Kohli enjoying himself: Du Plessis
Du Plessis in the post-match presentation said Kohli is looking fresh after his 60-day break from cricket due to the birth of his second child.
“Virat was important in the way he tempoed his innings. Wasn’t a pitch where you could hit through the line. Good to see him, he’s always smiling and enjoying himself. Still very passionate about playing cricket. Obviously had a nice break now which is very important. He’s still enjoying himself, very passionate about playing cricket. Fresh and motivated to do well,” Du Plessis said.
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Impact player rule makes targets chasable
On being asked if at any point he felt the game was going away from them, du Plessis said the impact player rule allowing teams to play an extra batter helps in these situations.
“No I didn’t feel the game was gone. With the new rule, there’s an extra batter. We knew we had Mahipal coming in – has lot of power. Now with the extra batter you feel like even 14-15 rpo is gettable. Even 30 off 2 overs becomes a reality,” said Du Plessis.
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