‘It’s like ABD never left’ – Twitter reacts as Faf du Plessis, Dinesh Karthik thrash PBKS bowlers

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Faf du Plessis scored half a century on the IPL captaincy debut.

Faf du Plessis and Dinesh Karthik. (Photo source: IPL/BCCI)

Faf du Plessis made his mark in Royal Challengers Bangalore’s campaign opener against Punjab Kings when he played the captain’s knock by scoring a 57-ball 88. By winning the toss, PBKS sent RCB to bat first. Openers Anuj Rawat and Faf got off to a successful start as the two ended the power play by scoring 41 runs, and Odean Smith gave up 10 runs in the second left over he pitched.

Du Plessis started off slow, but picked up the pace as he progressed through the game. After his partnership with Rawat was broken, he formed an even better partnership with ex-captain Virat Kohlic and went on to score on just 42 balls for half a century. He brought out his fifty with his signature shot as the ball was struck for a six.

Faf du Plessis kickstart in captain’s armband in style

The two set up a 118-run stand for the second wicket and Faf continued to hit the bowlers for multiple limits. Before the start of the last four overs, RCB’s score rose to 158/1. Faf is known for giving a team the perfect start as an opener. He did that for the Chennai Super Kings until the 2021 editions and continued his form for RCB.

The Faf show came to an end when Arshdeep Singh fired him in the 18th as he was closing out an IPL century. He was caught long range by Shahrukh Khan and had to leave with 88 runs off 57 balls. Virat Kohli also played an impressive 41*(29) knock, including a four and two maximums.

During his 88 knockout, Faf also completed 3000 runs in IPL, becoming the seventh overseas player to achieve this feat. For Faf, it was Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, David Warner, Shane Watson and Kieron Pollard who crossed the 3000-run mark. He became the top scorer for his side in his very first game for the team.

Speaking of the match, it rained limits in the Dr. DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai. RCB set a target of 206 for PBKS to chase in 20 overs, while Faf, Kohli and Dinesh Karthik took their team to a huge score of 205/2. Virat’s Show came to a halt as Karthik entered the crease, scoring a 32*(14) with three sixes and as many fours.

In the meantime, let’s take a look at how Twitter reacted to the fireworks from RCB batters:

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