IPL 2023: Faf du Plessis praises passionate Kohli, says playing with him is better than being in opposite team

Former South African captain Faf du Plessis thanks his stars for getting to bat alongside the modern-day legend Virat Kohli than being in the opposite team. With both players among the runs in IPL 2023, Faf leads the chart for the Orange Cap as he has 631 runs from 12 games, while Virat is sixth on the list with 438 runs this season.

Speaking ahead of Bangalore's one of two do-or-die clashes against SunRisers Hyderabad on Thursday, Faf praised the ex-skipper, saying Virat's passion for the game is unmatched and irrespective of whether it's the first wicket or the last, he would celebrate it with the same energy.

As quoted in NDTV, Faf said he remains in awe of Virat's passion and after sharing the dressing room with him, he feels it's better to rub shoulders with him than play against him.

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"The biggest thing about Virat is his passion. I always admire playing against Virat. The amount of passion that he has, for every wicket that falls, he would be on a 10-on-10 for every wicket. I wonder how this guy is always passionate, even if a number 11 player gets out. I was in awe of the amount of passion that he has, playing the game of cricket. Now being on the same team as him, I can tell you that playing with him is better than playing against him," said Du Plessis, as quoted by NDTV.

Shedding more light on what it means to play alongside perhaps the best white-ball batter in a longest time, Faf said knowing Virat outside of the cricket field is excellent. The right-handed batter said playing with him fuels one too, and that, you wish to give your absolute best as well.

Speaking further, Faf revealed both Kohli and he share a lot of common interests, one of which includes love for tattoos.

"When you are playing against him, sometimes, that passion can fuel you as well. I've been on the other side of that. Whereas if you play with him, it's such a great thing. You feel that passion batting with him, and it's really really infectious. It makes you wanna give your absolute best all the time as well. It's been great to know the player behind the cricket player and the person behind the cricket player. He is an extremely generous, kind-hearted man. Also, a family-oriented like myself. We have become really good friends. We share a lot of similar interests, family driven, passion and tattoos," Faf added while heaping praises on Virat Kohli.

Meanwhile, Faf-led RCB is fifth on the points table with 12 points from as many games, and for them to move ahead in the competition, RCB need to win its remaining two matches.