IPL 2022, RCB vs RR - Great players go through phases like this: Faf du Plessis on Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli has been horribly out of form in this IPL but he got the backing of his Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Faf du Plessis, who on Tuesday said "great players go through phases like this". Kohli was promoted to the top of the order against Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday after scoring back-to-back ducks but that move also did not yield the desired result as the former India captain was out for nine. RCB lost the match by 29 runs. "We tried changing the batting line-up today and we feel that they can try playing positively," du Plessis said when asked about a struggling Kohli being sent to bat as an opener along with him.

"(Kohli) Can't go into a shell. Great players go through phases like this and we wanted to get him in the game straightaway so that he doesn't sit in the sidelines and think about the game. It's a game of confidence." Kohli, who hasn't scored a hundred in any format for more than three years now, had got out to first ball ducks in successive games before Tuesday's match with a familiar pattern of dismissals outside the off-stump. Du Plessis, however, admitted that his top-order batters are lacking in consistency and his side will haver to fix the problem sooner than later.

"The top order is a trick we need to fix. You need someone in the top four to bat through and we haven't done that consistently," he said. "It's pretty similar to the previous game. If you hit the deck hard in the first few overs, it is hard to get away. The dropped chance cost us," said the former South Africa captain. Royals captain Sanju Samson said his side's run chase was "looking dicey" after 15 overs but they won the match thanks to Riyan Parag, who hit 56 not out off just 31 balls. "We have been backing him (Parag)