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Watch: Kohli's ruthless batting distracts Du Plessis during IPL 2023 interview, RCB captain sheepishly reacts in fear
Faf du Plessis was left looking for cover in fear during Virat Kohli's ruthless nets session, ahead of RCB's IPL 2023 opener vs MI.
Royal Challengers Bangalore will open their IPL 2023 campaign against Mumbai Indians, on Sunday in Bengaluru. Ahead of their campaign opener, much of the focus for RCB will fall on former captain Virat Kohli. Kohli was in good form in IPL 2022, finishing the season with 341 runs in 16 games. But it wasn't enough as RCB crashed out in the playoffs.
The former RCB captain won the Orange Cap in IPL 2016, amassing 973 runs, which is also the record for most runs scored in a single IPL season. During the season, he smacked four tons, including one in a curtailed 15-over match against PBKS. But even still his performances weren't enough as RCB lost to David Warner-led SunRisers Hyderabad in the final.
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The 34-year-old is also on top of the all-time run-scorers list in IPL history, with 6411 runs in 216 matches, with five centuries and 42 fifties. He is followed by Shikhar Dhawan, who has 6086 runs in 200 games, packed with two centuries and 46 half-centuries. Meanwhile, Rohit Sharma is third with 5764 runs in 221 games, with a 100 and 40 fifties.
The swashbuckling batter looks like he is in fine form for RCB's opener, as shown in a recent video posted by the franchise on Instagram. In the video, Kohli can be seen showcasing his ruthless batting skills, while captain Faf du Plessis gets interviewed on the sidelines. During the video, Kohli can be seen whacking deliveries everywhere, with Du Plessis also sheepishly looking out of fear.
Here is the video:
During Kohli's nets session, De Plessis could be seen keeping a check on the ball and he also joked at the end, “He's just firing balls all the time.”
IPL 2023 began with a sizzling Opening Ceremony, followed by defending champions Gujarat Titans taking on Chennai Super Kings in the season opener, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Chasing a target of 179 runs, GT reached 182/5 in 19.2 overs, with Shubman Gill smacking 63 runs off 36 balls. Initially, CSK posted 178/7 in 20 overs, with Ruturaj Gaikwad hammering 92 off 50 deliveries. Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami and Alzarri Joseph were in good bowling form for GT, taking two wickets each.
