"He is a very good player for the future" - Faf du Plessis praises Anuj Rawat after easy win vs MI
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Faf du Plessis was all praise for young Anuj Rawat after their win over Mumbai Indians on Saturday. The Bangalore-based franchise thrashed Mumbai by seven wickets at the Maharashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Pune.
The 22-year-old Rawat played a fine knock of 66 runs of 47 balls to steer the run chase of 152 runs for the Bangalore franchise. The southpaw smacked six towering sixes and two boundaries.
Mumbai stays loyal to CSK at bottom of the points table as RCB denies them a point. Congratulations to Anuj Rawat for a memorable knock. He is going to cherish this chase with a forever chase master Kohli - a dream of every rising talent. #IPL2022 #TATA2022 https://t.co/ffcb42n4Jm
Speaking at the end of the game, Faf du Plessis said:
"Very good, Anuj. I spoke about him before the tournament, he has potential and we talk a lot to develop game awareness. Comes down the wicket, shows intent, he's a very good player for the future."
Anuj Rawat got a start in the last fixture against the Rajasthan Royals, scoring 26 runs but failing to convert it into a big score. This knock will give him much-needed confidence ahead of the upcoming games.
The opener forged a crucial 80-run stand for the second wicket with Virat Kohli to keep Bangalore on par with the run chase. Rawat finally got out in the 17th over before Kohli was adjudged LBW in the 19th. But it didn't trouble RCB as Glenn Maxwell struck two consecutive boundaries to seal the tie.
"Brilliant bowling performance" - Faf du Plessis on Akash Deep
Ranadeb Bose, then Bengal bowling coach, on Akash Deep during 2019-20 Ranji: “He never shies away from practice. The hard work he has put into his physical fitness has enabled him to bowl fast. Still pretty raw. One more good season with Bengal could see him represent Ind A."
Batting first, the Mumbai Indians got off to a flying start, adding 50 runs for the first wicket. Bangalore bounced right after the powerplay, picking up wickets in a cluster. Faf du Plessis and Co. then broke the backbone of Mumbai's innings. They picked up four wickets in a span of just three overs and gave away only two runs.
About the bowling performance, Du Plessis said:
"It feels really good, Mumbai is a strong team. Bowling tonight was really good. Probably for 18 overs excellent batting, was some quality batting at the end there. Very happy standing here. We will definitely take 152 against Mumbai any day."
The former Proteas captain also spoke highly of young fast bowler Akash Deep. The pacer returned with figures of 1/20 in his four overs, including a maiden. Du Plessis concluded:
"Akash Deep was very good. Hold that back of a length with the seam standing up, there was something there. Brilliant bowling performance."
With this victory, Royal Challengers Bangalore now have six points from four games. They are currently third in the IPL 2022 points table after Kolkata Knight Riders and Gujarat Titans.