After pulling out of the recently-concluded Test series against England, star batter Virat Kohli is set to return to action during the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Kohli returned to India, following the birth of his son Akaay, and is set to join his franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore’s training camp. Kohli was in the UK to be with his wife Anushka Sharma, who gave birth to their second child, Akaay, on February 15. He had opted out of the England series, citing personal reasons.
On Sunday, Kohli was spotted at the Mumbai airport, just days ahead of RCB’s opening match of the season against the defending champions Chennai Super Kings.
Speaking about his predecessor, RCB captain Faf du Plessis opened up about his partnership with Kohli at the top of the order.
Du Plessis suggested that Kohli is one of his favourite players to bat with, adding that the former RCB captain brings a lot of energy to the table.
“Batting is probably the other thing that we click on equally. You know, it is unbelievable batting with him. He’s one of my favourite 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. Him being out there in the middle, which is really infectious, the way he gives that energy, and I remember being in the opposition and how that really is,” the former South Africa captain told Star Sports.
“Let’s hope for that amount of energy, because it was like this guy is just always on. How did you manage it? So it’s really infectious, the same thing on the field, because, like catching balls, we are both very competitive, and I make sure we get those good catches for the team. So he’s really important to me in terms of the field. I think, indeed, so many things fast as a team. But fielding is, he said, so he sets the time for the energy on the field,” he added.
Kohli had stepped down as RCB captain after IPL 2021. The franchise roped in du Plessis ahead of IPL 2022 for Rs 7 crore, before naming him as captain.
Over the past two seasons, RCB have finished fourth and sixth respectively.
Last seasons, du Plessis was the leading run-scorer for RCB, amassing 730 runs in 14 games.
RCB take on CSK in the IPL opener on Friday, March 22.
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