Former Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar has said that he is not a big fan of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Faf du Plessis. Akhtar added that he is not sure how far he can take the Bangalore franchise in IPL 2022. Notably, Virat Kohli has left the captaincy and RCB bought du Plessis for ₹7 crores at the IPL auction earlier this year.
While previewing the IPL 2022 clash on Sportskeeda’s special show “SK Match Ki Baat”, Akhtar said: “Virat has quit leadership and Du Plessis has taken over, so he will lead in his own way. I am not a huge fan of Faf du Plessis because I don’t see anything (special) in his captaincy.”
“Virat has been a very unfortunate captain for both India and RCB. He tried his best, but it didn’t work for them. Having said that, Faf has a point to prove. At times, he doesn’t look that sharp during his leadership. He has been given the responsibility of leading a huge franchise, so let’s see if he is able to revive their fortunes.”
READ HERE: Gary Kirsten all set to work with Hardik Pandya
However, he also admitted that the former South African captain will not be overshadowed by Virat Kohli as he has been doing well so far. Notably, Faf du Plessis was the second-highest run-getter in IPL 2021 with 633 runs in 16 matches at an average of 45.21 and a strike rate of 138.20 as well.
“He played for Chennai for a long time and he has a good idea of how things work. However, I am not sure how far Faf will go from here. If he does that, hats off to him, but I still have my reservations,” he shared.
Meanwhile, Shoaib Akhtar believes that Rajasthan Royals (RR) captain Sanju Samson has been unlucky as he should have been played more games for Team India so far. He has played for India in only one ODI and 13 T20Is to date. However, Samson will lead the Rajasthan Royals against the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Tuesday.
He said: “Sanju Samson should have played more matches for India. I think he is one of the finest players. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been able to seal his place in the Indian team. But he is a great talent.”
READ HERE: India will struggle if Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma don’t score, says Mohammad Hafeez
Apart from Sanju Samson, Akhtar also praised Jos Buttler. He further added that the dangerous England batter has not got the kind of recognition that he should get. He scored 35 off 28 balls against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and later he smashed 100 off 68 deliveries against the Mumbai Indians (MI) as well.
“If England had promoted Jos Buttler instead of Ben Stokes, he would have been a superstar of England. Buttler is a big magician. He can score on poor wickets, and on good surfaces, he destroys bowlers. He is a massive talent. Jos Buttler has not got the credit that he deserves. He is one of the most perfect players, one of the most lethal forces to reckon with right now. I don’t think his talent has been recognized yet,” Shoaib Akhtar concluded.
