South African batter Faf du Plessis on Tuesday (15th February) said that Virat Kohli sent him a welcome note after he was acquired by Royal Challengers Banglore (RCB) at IPL 2022 auction.
Faf du Plessis’s 11-year long stint with Chennai Super Kings came to end after he was roped in by RCB at a mega auction for INR 7 crores. The right-hander is likely to open along with Virat Kohli in the upcoming IPL 2022.
The right-hander has been a prolific run-getters in IPL with around 3000 runs to his name in 100 games. He also has 22 half-centuries.
Read Also: WATCH- I miss everyone at CSK, enjoyed my time there- Faf du Plessis after being picked by RCB
Speaking on a RevSportz show, RCB’s new recruit Faf du Plessis said that when he was picked by the franchise in the mega auction he received a welcome message from Virat Kohli. He remarked that he shares a good relationship with the former Indian skipper.
“I just got a message from Virat welcoming me into the squad which was very nice. I and Virat have got a good relationship over the years,” Faf Du Plessis said.
Faf du Plessis further said that since last two years he and Virat Kohli have started speaking to each other a bit more and it’s a great opportunity for him to play alongside one of the world’s greatest cricketer.
“Especially in the last year or two, we started speaking a bit more often and that’s going to be a great opportunity for me to play alongside one of the world’s greatest cricketers we’ve seen. I am looking forward to that,” he said.
With the franchise also looking for a captaincy option, Faf du Plessis can be an ideal candidate for the leadership role, considering his experience of leading South Africa in all three formats.
Talking about the same, Du Plessis said: “The thought has crossed my mind. When you look at someone like myself, and you know, what is the package... it is obviously batsman and experience but also part of that package is leadership. It's something I've done for a very long time.”
Faf further said that he had been a part of the leadership group at Chennai Super Kings and often had discussions with Mahendra Singh Dhoni over key decisions on the field.
“I've been lucky enough to play under some great leaders as well. But I haven't had any conversations regarding that so it has pretty much just been a thought. And whether I'm captain or not, there's always an element of what I bring to the table which is that leadership and experience on the field. Even when MS was the captain, I'd be up in his ear pretty much the whole time and try and add value as much as I can,” said Faf.
Having retained Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and Mohammed Siraj, RCB bought the likes of Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Dinesh Karthik, Josh Hazlewood, Anuj Rawat, Shahbaz Ahmed, Akash Deep and many more.
(RevSportz inputs)
