Former South African skipper, Faf du Plessis recently claimed that he hasn’t found leading Virat Kohli in the Indian Premier League (IPL) difficult they never had any ego clashes. Faf asserted that he believes in building relationships rather than outperforming teammates. Du Plessis was named captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) franchise ahead of the IPL 2022 season, right after Kohli resigned from the position. 

While RCB could not end their hunt for the elusive title under Faf du Plessis, they reached the playoffs yet again. In an interaction on The Grade Cricketer’s YouTube channel, the South African cricketer was asked about the challenge of leading a superstar like Kohli in the IPL.

Explaining how he went about things, Faf du Plessis said: “He’s a much bigger offer than me. You don’t try and compete. The ego is the thing where peacocks generally clash. Then like the feathers come out and you want to see who has got the shiniest in the room. Luckily, I get that about people and relationships. I don’t try and outshine someone else in the dressing room. I try and build a relationship. With Virat, that was exactly my point of entry.”

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While the RCB skipper amassed 468 runs in 16 matches at an average of 31.20 and a strike rate of 127.52, Virat Kohli witnessed a poor outing as he managed to score just 341 runs at an average of 22.73 and a strike rate of 115.99. While discussing the former Indian skipper, Du Plessis left amazed seeing the passion of Virat Kohli and the energy he brings into the game.

Hailing the 34-year-old’s commitment, Du Plessis said: “I had played against him for so long. He is one of the most competitive guys in the world of cricket to play against. You sit there and you go – how does this guy have so much energy? Every single time a wicket falls, doesn’t matter if it’s a No.11 or an opening batter, his passion for celebration is like you just have to go, ‘I’ll take my hats off to you’. He’s superhuman.”

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Faf Du Plessis added that he has now seen the gentler side of the Indian batter as well. He said: “When you play with him, you see there is the other side, which is this caring guy that just wants to play cricket, and actually a really family guy. He’s amazing.”

Both Faf Du Plessis and Kohli have been retained by RCB ahead of the IPL 2023 auction, which is scheduled to take place in Kochi on December 23.