Former Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Faf du Plessis has expressed strong confidence in his former teammate Virat Kohli, predicting that the Indian batting maestro will be “super motivated” to rediscover his best form. Kohli has faced a challenging patch recently, particularly during India’s tour Down Under, where he managed only 190 runs at an average of 23.75 across five Tests, despite a promising century in Perth during the first match.
Speaking at the SA20 Season 3 Captain’s Day, Faf du Plessis shared his belief in Kohli’s resilience. “I know someone like him is super, super motivated. He’s gone through it all before, so he knows exactly what to do,” said the South African veteran.
The 39-year-old also acknowledged that decisions about one’s career, including retirement, are deeply personal and vary for every athlete. Reflecting on his own journey, Faf du Plessis recounted how he decided to step away from Test cricket when he felt his hunger and drive for the format had waned.
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“I just knew that certainly from the Test cricket perspective for me, I didn’t have that same hunger and drive anymore. It felt like the right time to let new guys step in and for me to focus on T20 cricket while I was still at the top of my game,” he explained.
Du Plessis also weighed in on the ICC’s suggestion of introducing a two-tier system for Test cricket, a proposal he strongly opposes. He emphasized the importance of ensuring the health of the longest format and criticized the imbalance in the number of matches played by different teams.
“We’ve seen the value placed on Test cricket by Australia, England, and India with their 4-5 match series. Meanwhile, other teams play just two Test matches here and there or six in an entire season. That’s not healthy for the game,” he argued.
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Highlighting recent thrilling Test matches, du Plessis underlined the enduring significance of the format. “The Test matches over the last few weeks have been incredible. As long as we continue to value and promote the format, it will remain an essential part of cricket,” he concluded.
