That’s how you chase a target: RCB captain Faf du Plessis on batting with Virat Kohli

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], April 3 (ANI): Following his team’s 8-wicket win over Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Faf du Plessis praised his match-winning 148-run opening partnership with Virat Kohli and said “that’s how you chase a target.”

Virat Kohli’s unbeaten 82 and Faf du Plessis’ 73 helped Royal Challengers Bangalore register a comprehensive eight-wicket win over Mumbai Indians at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on Sunday to start their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 season with a victory.

While Du Plessis scored 73, Kohli hit the winning six to finish with 82 unbeaten as RCB defeated MI by eight wickets and 22 balls to spare.

“And that second innings, if you want to know how to chase a target, that’s how you do it. If you took pace off the ball, it wasn’t too easy to play and there was something in it for the spinners but as a batter, if you got into good positions you could score runs,” Faf du Plessis said in a post-match presentation.

Du Plessis added that it was “special” to play in Bengaluru.

“My first time playing here as a home player and it’s special, especially batting with Virat Kohli. Energy bounces off him,” Du Plessis said.

The RCB captain added that the squad will have “confidence” going into their upcoming encounter against Kolkata Knight Riders on April 6 at Eden Gardens after they registered a thumping eight-wicket victory against Mumbai Indians.

“You have to stay with the youngsters, I still work hard to be able to move around like I could in the young days. The confidence this gives, all of us are confident players. This start will be huge for us as a team,” he said.

Coming to the match, chasing a challenging 172-run target the Royal Challengers Bangalore got off to a flying start by their openers Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli looked in great touch.

Captain du Plessis was the more aggressive of the two and helped RCB go past the 50-run mark in just 5.3 overs. After the first six overs of the powerplay, Bangalore notched up 53 runs without the loss of any wicket. Mumbai Indians bowlers looked helpless as du Plessis went on to score his half-century in just 29 balls.

The du Plessis-Kohli duo helped RCB reach the triple-figure mark in just 10.3 overs. Virat Kohli reached his 50-mark in 38 balls and his partnership with his skipper looked unbreakable.

Mumbai finally got a breakthrough when left-arm medium-pacer Arshad Khan dismisses du Plessis for 73 from 53 balls as RCB lost their first wicket for 148. In the next over MI got their second breakthrough of the match when Cameron Green dismissed Dinesh Karthik for a duck as Bangalore lost their second wicket for 149.

Glenn Maxwell walked out to bat with Kohli and these two took RCB beyond the 150-run mark in 15.5 overs. Maxwell faced three deliveries and went on to hit two sixes to take his team tantalisingly close to victory.

Kohli went on to hit the winning run as Royal Challengers Bangalore chases down a 172-run target in just 16.2 overs.