"When the going gets tough, he rises to the occasion"- Ravi Shastri hails RCB captain Faf du Plessis for gritty knock vs LSG

Former Indian all-rounder and head coach Ravi Shastri praised Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Faf du Plessis for his crucial knock of 44 against the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) on Monday.

Although Du Plessis consumed 40 deliveries for his 44 runs, it proved to be a match-defining knock as RCB defended 126 on a tough batting pitch in Lucknow and won by 18 runs against LSG. Shastri shed light on how Du Plessis is used to playing on tough tracks, having played a lot of cricket in Chepauk with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

Speaking to Star Sports after RCB's win, here's what Ravi Shastri had to say about Faf du Plessis' willingness to dig deep and grind runs on tough pitches:

"Faf du Plessis applies himself well after gauging the pitch. When the going gets tough, he rises to the occasion. He has done it in the past as well for CSK. When the pitch is tricky, he holds the fort and that's exactly what he's doing this year for RCB."

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Faf du Plessis on importance of opening partnership

Faf du Plessis won the Player of the Match award for his gritty knock, but he also credited his opening partner Virat Kohli for getting RCB off to a steady start.

The pitch had a lot of grip and turn for the spinners and Du Plessis felt the opening partnership of 62 runs proved to be vital for the visitors, setting up a total that could give them a fighting chance.

At the post-match presentation ceremony, Du Plessis stated:

"Opposite, complete opposites (the pitch here vs Chinnaswamy). We played really well in the first six overs. That's when you can play the same way. To have a fifty partnership in the six overs was match changing. Batting first was important."

In just nine matches this season, Du Plessis has scored a staggering 466 runs and is on top of the pile on the Orange Cap list.