Faf du Plessis was warming the bench for most part of the Vivo IPL-11 that’s drawing to a close. Initially, though, he was not fielded because a side strain and finger injury took time to mend. He played his first match, Chennai Super Kings’ fifth, against Sunrisers Hyderabad at Uppal on April 22.
The South African captain did not play the ‘home’ match against Sunrisers in Pune. But CSK gave him opportunities against Delhi Daredevils, Kolkata Knight Riders and Kings XI Punjab.
du Plessis had played 49 matches before (including eight for Rising Pune Supergiant) the landmark 50th, and he showed his ball-hitting capabilities that perhaps surprised his teammates and the CSK fans, but not himself. That he faced 42 balls to make 67 precious runs revealed he was forced be circumspect when his partners were getting ejected from the middle.
The glorious uncertainties of the game manifested as du Plessis took on Carlos Brathwaite in the 18th over, hammering three fours and a six, and then finishing it off with a straight six off Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
du Plessis’ previous high scores for CSK were 71 against Royal Challengers Bangalore and 73 versus Rajasthan Royals, both in the fourth season at Chepauk. He had four more half-centuries before he took guard at the Wankhede on Tuesday and he proved all his worth for the ₹1.6 crore that CSK bought him for.
Individual brilliance had saved the day for CSK, and coach Stephen Fleming emphasised this. “The game obviously has its ups and downs, but we have had a season where we have won from unwinnable positions. Today was one of those, it seems. It’s been individual players who have got us out of trouble and different players all the time.
“Of course, MS is a usual culprit. The player today who hasn’t played that much came out on a bigger stage of the tournament, and for Faf to do that is a testament to his skillset and mindset. Sometimes dumb luck; you just pick the guys at the right time and they play an innings that means so much and we saw one of those today.”
CSK will be mightily pleased that it did not have to take the flight to Dum Dum and wait for the outcome of the match between Knight Riders and Royals, thanks to du Plessis’ best outing for the men in yellow and quirks of IPL T20!
