Du Plessis had two long stints with IPL side Chennai Super Kings – 2011-2015 and 2018-2021 – before he moved to Royal Challengers Bangalore as captain last season.
Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis believes Mahendra Singh Dhoni, among others, helped him develop as a leader, adding that the former India commander is tactically one of the stylish in the business.
Du Plessis had two long stints with IPL side Chennai Super lords- 2011- 2015 and 2018- 2021- before he moved to Royal contenders Bangalore as captain last season.
Du Plessis said when he realised he wasn’t going to be a leader like former Proteas commander Graeme Smith or Dhoni, he decided to just be himself.
“I suppose what was really good for me to go through( during his career) was the conviction that I’m not going to be Graeme Smith as a captain, I ’m not going to be Stephen Fleming as a captain, I ’m not going to be MS Dhoni as a captain
“In order for me to be true to who I’m as a person, I need to be me. Because if you ’re not being you, also people will see through it, perhaps not when you ’re doing well but surely when you’re under pressure, or under- performing, the real you’ll reveal itself, ” du Plessis said in a RCB podcast.
Du Plessis said during his debut season with CSK, he used to spend a lot of time with former New Zealand captain and Chennai platoon principal trainer Fleming, just picking his smarts on captaincy and trying to imbibe the nuances of leadership.
“I always had this leadership perspective of learning from great leaders, it( leadership) was always commodity that I was fascinated about. When I originally came into the South African platoon, Graeme Smith was the captain. I was like, Wow, this joe’s got an amazing presence when he speaks- like this big, bedazzling roar at you, and he just dominated the room while speaking. So I was like, that’s a leader, right?, ” he said.
“I got an occasion to go to Chennai( CSK) aT a youthful phase in my career. Stephen Fleming is one of the great leaders within the game, obviously, for New Zealand justice also. The different aspect was him being a man director, a joe who just works on connections.
“And I go, Wow, that’s emotional. During my first season at CSK, I was sitting coming to him( Fleming) and just asked him questions about captaincy and leadership, just to learn as important as I can. And also you put MS Dhoni on top of that, and you go, Wow, this joe’s( Dhoni) tactically odd to read the game like this. And you go, Okay, he’s emotional as a captain, ” he added.
The South African great said being criticised “ unfairly ” for shining the ball in the alternate Test against Australia at Hobart during the 2016 series had made him more determined to give it back to the home side. South Africa had won the alternate Test by an innings and 80 runs.
Du Plessis, who was leading the side, reportedly applied slaver to the ball with a lolly in his mouth. Though he was fined 100 per cent of his match figure, he was cleared to play the coming Test at Adelaide.
“I was veritably unfairly criticised for shining that ball and the media absolutely ripped into me; they labelled me as a cheat and attacked my character. Before the third Test every review was like ‘ Faf du Plessis( is a) cheat.
“It was just bad and I walked out to club at Adelaide( for the first pink ball third Test) and there were,000 razzes. as loud as it can get. ” Du Plessis said the occasion brought out the fighter in him and he scored a century in the first innings. South Africa, however, went on to lose the match by seven lattices despite his 118.
“I was like this is what I was born for( to fight). This is the fighter in me and also you get a 100 in the Test match. Indeed when I was on 50, everyone booed me. Indeed when I went on 100, half the colosseum clapped, while the other half still booed( me). It let a honey inside of me, ‘ you can not get me out moment because of what’s passing out there ’, ” said du Plessis. Know More Cricket News…
