Former South African captain Faf du Plessis has backed Virat Kohli after his lackluster performance in the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. in Australia. Faf du Plessis has said that Virat Kohli has earned the right to determine his future in cricket, given his impressive past performances.
Faf du Plessis, who has played alongside and against Virat Kohli over the years, understands his mindset well. Kohli and du Plessis played together for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The duo also spent many years as on-field rivals in international cricket and the IPL.
Virat Kohli has been through it all – Faf du Plessis
Amid calls for Virat Kohli to retire from Test cricket for his recent performances, Faf du Plessis has said retirement is a personal decision. He pointed out that no one can determine when a player should retire. Du Plessis said Kohli will know when the time is right to decide.
“It’s different for every player. Every player has to answer that question for himself. I remember when that time was for me, I remember for myself, I didn’t have the same hunger and drive for Test cricket anymore, and I felt in that phase was definitely a good time to let the new guys come in and also step into the T20 role,” Faf said.
“I wanted to do it when I felt I was still at the top of my game. It’s very personal. Nobody can talk to you when it’s that time; as a player, you just know. I know someone like him; he’s super motivated. Everything has already been through it, so he will know exactly what to do,” he added.
Faf du Plessis has announced his retirement from Test cricket in February 2021 at the age of 36. The right-handed batsman played 69 matches for South Africa, scoring 4163 runs at an average of 40.03, including 10 centuries. Du Plessis decided to step away from Test cricket to focus solely on T20 internationals.
Virat Kohli struggled during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Virat Kohli had a disappointing performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He scored 190 runs in nine innings at an average of 23.75, including one century. Over the past five years, the right-handed batsman has a batting average of 30.72 in Tests.
The 36-year-old batsman maintained an average above 50 in Tests till the end of 2019. He was dismissed for being caught behind in eight consecutive innings. His next challenge will be India’s five-match Test series against England in June.
It is not difficult for me to motivate myself – Faf du Plessis
Faf du Plessis shows no intention of slowing down and is committed to continuing as long as his motivation and performance are high. He stated that his drive and hunger for the game is as strong as when he made his debut for South Africa.
“For me, sitting right now, I don’t feel like it’s hard to motivate myself. I’m ready for another run, I think. As long as the desire is there and you’re still working at the top of your game. I feel like when I first played international cricket for South Africa.”
“It comes from the mind; that’s where it starts. I’m still hungry, I’m still strong. The rest follows. Then obviously you have to do the hard work – make sure you’re as fit as you can be. When you get older, you have to do everything you need to do on the field. Yes, I think the desire is there.
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