Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli have performed exceptionally well for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
The RCB skipper and his predecessor have formed a formidable opening pair. They are among the leading run-scorers in IPL 2023.
While Du Plessis is heading the chart of top run-getter with 631 runs from 12 innings, Kohli is occupying the sixth spot in the list with 438 runs from 12 outings.
In an exclusive chat with NDTV, Faf du Plessis opened up on his admiration for Kohli on and 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 number 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 stated.
The South African then explained why playing alongside Kohli is better than playing against him.
"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," he added.
Talking about RCB, they are still in the IPL 2023 playoffs race with 12 points from as many matches. They need to win their remaining two games to secure a spot in the last-four stage.
Royal Challengers Bangalore are due to take on Sunrisers Hyderabad on May 18 while they will face Gujarat Titans in their last league match on May 21.
