“MS Dhoni Is Impressive as a Captain,” Says Faf du Plessis

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Faf du Plessis skipper recalled his early days with the Chennai Super Kings and how playing under the leadership of “impressive” MS Dhoni helped his growth as a leader. He also spoke about the role of CSK’s head coach and ex-New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming in his professional career.

It was in the 2012 IPL edition when du Plessis earned his first IPL contract when CSK bought him. In that 2012 IPL, the South African represented CSK in a total of 13 matches and amassed 400 runs (398) at an average of 33.16. After a successful maiden IPL stint, Faf made his T20I debut on that robust 2012 tour of England. Soon he was handed the T20I captaincy. And since then Faf has been seen as one of the most impactful leaders of the current time. Having led South Africa across formats and franchises around the globe, Faf has wealth of experience when it comes to captaincy. In his IPL career, du Plessis had two long stints with the Chennai Super Kings — 2011-2015 and 2018-2021, before he moved to Royal Challengers Bangalore as captain last season. 

“Dhoni Is Tactically Odd,” Believes Faf

Speaking on the RCB Podcast, du Plessis explained the impact of MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming on his growth as a captain. He revealed that he had the intention to grasp as many things as he can from two of the best leaders in the game.

“I got an opportunity to go to Chennai (CSK) as a young-ish phase in my career. Stephen Fleming is one of the great leaders within the game, obviously, for New Zealand cricket also. And I go, Wow, that’s impressive. During my first season at CSK, I was sitting next to him (Fleming) and just asked him questions about captaincy and leadership, just to learn as much as I can. And then you put MS (Dhoni) on top of that, and you go, Wow, this guy’s (Dhoni) tactically odd to read the game like this. And you go, Okay, he is impressive as a captain,” said Faf du Plessis.

Captaincy is a skill that very few cricketers have mastered, and MS Dhoni is one of them. It is well known that Dhoni has the art of bringing the best out of his players. On many occasions, Faf has expressed openly how much he admires Dhoni and his persona on the field. Not as successful as Dhoni, but it is safe to say that Faf has created a legacy of his own as captain.