Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper Faf du Plessis has opened up about playing under the leadership of MS Dhoni at Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He feels that the things he learned from the wicketkeeper-batter helped him grow his leadership style.
RCB acquiring du Plessis at the IPL 2022 auction brought an end to his long-term association with CSK. The Proteas batter, who was acquired for INR 7 crores, was then on Saturday (March 12) made captain of the Bengaluru based franchise.
Du Plessis joined CSK in 2011 and since then he played a vital role in the team’s success. He was one of the main architects behind the MS Dhoni-led side’s triumph in IPL 2021 as he ended the season as the second-highest run-scorer with 633 runs to his name.
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The former South African skipper also played under MS Dhoni’s leadership at now-defunct Rising Pune Supergiants in 2016.
In an interview with RCB, Faf du Plessis recalled playing under the leadership of MS Dhoni at Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He revealed that he had a different notion about captaincy but the wicketkeeper-batter's style was completely different to what he thought.
“The crazy thing is, when I started over in Chennai, I had this idea of what captaincy looks like. And MS was the complete opposite of what I thought it would have looked like! Because my culture was South African, right? So I came to this environment and I was like, ‘this guy was completely different than I thought what it should be!’” Faf du Plessis said.
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Faf du Plessis further said that his stint at CSK taught him the importance of having his own unique style of captaincy, adding that he's grateful for the journey that's helped him nurture that.
“What it taught me was that there were different styles, but it is important that you need to be (have) your own style. Because that's the thing that always comes through when the pressure is on. So, I can't try to be Virat Kohli because I'm not Virat Kohli. I can't try to be MS Dhoni. But there are things I've learned that helped me grow my leadership style and mature. So, I'm grateful for that journey,” he said.
This will be the first time that Du Plessis will lead a team in the IPL. He will captain the likes of Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj at RCB.
RCB are placed with Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), Punjab Kings (PBKS), and Gujarat Titans (GT) in group B. They will kick start their campaign against the Mayank Agarwal-led Punjab Kings on 27th March in Mumbai.
