Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar isn’t impressed by Royal Challengers Bangalore’s new captain Faf du Plessis so far as a skipper in the IPL 2022.
The South African was brought by RCB for 7 crore at the mega-auction and was instated as their captain following Virat Kohli’s decision to step down at the end of last season. In three games so far, under Faf’s captaincy, RCB have won 2 – with both close encounters – and lost one, against Punjab, in which Faf led the way with a brilliant 88 with the bat.
However, Shoaib Akhtar said he doesn’t see anything great or admirable in Du Plessis’ captaincy.
“Virat has quit leadership and Du Plessis has taken over, so he will lead in his own way. I am not a huge fan of Faf du Plessis because I don’t see anything (special) in his captaincy,” Shoaib Akhtar told Sportskeeda.
A former all-format captain of the South African team, Faf du Plessis hasn’t played international cricket since January 2021. He has, though, been a standout performer in franchise leagues. He was the second-highest run-scorer in IPL 2021, playing a key role at the top of the order for CSK helping the franchise win their fourth IPL title, and was recently in superb form during the Bangladesh Premier League.
Shoaib Akhtar, though, reckons the 37-year-old has a “point to prove” and hasn’t looked “that sharp” as RCB’s captain.
“Having said that, Faf has a point to prove. At times, he doesn’t look that sharp during his leadership. He has been given the responsibility of leading a huge franchise, so let’s see if he is able to revive their fortunes,” the former fast bowler opined.
After failing to defend 205 against Punjab, RCB bounced back with close victories against KKR and RR, chasing down targets only in the last over of both the matches. They will, now, be bolstered by the return of their Aussie pair of Glenn Maxwell and Josh Hazlewood – both are available for their next match on April 9 against Mumbai Indians.
