Legendary South African batter Faf du Plessis has opened up about his friendship with Virat Kohli. Since joining the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2022 for INR 7 Crore, Du Plessis and Kohli have played together.
Kohli captained RCB until IPL 2021 but stepped down before the 2022 season, leading to Du Plessis taking over the captaincy, a role he continues to hold.
Over the years, both players have been key pillars for RCB at the top of the order, serving as the team’s designated openers and often delivering strong starts. They are also frequently seen engaged in deep discussions during fielding.
Faf du Plessis breaks silence on his friendship with Virat Kohli
In a video uploaded by Star Sports on social media, Faf du Plessis spoke about his friendship with Virat Kohli over the years and the similarities that both of them share in terms of fashion and food.
“I think both of us take our bodies seriously in terms of trying to be the best athlete we can be. So, yeah we do spend a lot of time in the gym together. We both love food and experiencing food. We are both really into our fashion. That’s another thing that we spend a lot of time talking about. We would send each other pictures of outfits and stuff like that,” Du Plessis said in a video uploaded by Star Sports on X (formerly Twitter).
Du Plessis further mentioned that Kohli has a huge passion for watches which has been a terrible influence on the South African. RCB captain also spoke about the high energy and passion while batting with Kohli and called him one of the favorite guys to bat with.
“He has been a terrible influence on me” – Faf du Plessis on Virat Kohli
“He has been a terrible influence on me when it comes to watches. He has got a real passion for watches. My bank balance doesn’t appreciate or friendship because of that. The batting is probably the other thing that we equally click on. It is unbelievable batting with him,” Du Plessis said.
“He is one of my favorite guys to bat with. He brings out so much energy in me like sometimes I feel like I’m fist-bumping my glove through his hand because he gets so passionate being out there in the middle. It’s really infectious the way he gives that energy,” he added.
Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli form the second most successful opening pair in IPL history. They have accumulated 1773 runs in 33 matches, including six partnerships over a hundred runs. They trail only Shikhar Dhawan and David Warner, who top the list for their successful opening stand with Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Du Plessis and Kohli also hold the record for the highest runs by an opening pair in a single IPL season, amassing 939 runs in 14 innings with three partnerships exceeding a hundred runs during IPL 2023.
