Coach Stephen Fleming says Faf du Plessis, who single-handedly guided Chennai Super Kings into the final of Indian Premier League’s 11th edition, was played in the first qualifier because of an injury to Sam Billings.
Coming back after a two-year ban, two-time champions Chennai Super Kings on Tuesday pulled off a thrilling two-wicket win over Sunrisers Hyderabad to make theie seventh final of the cash-rich league, with du Plessis’ unbeaten 67-run knock leading the chase.
“Sam got hurt in the last game. He fell awkwardly on his hip and it has been quite bruised. He probably could’ve played if he was pushed but he was uncomfortable.
“So we just took that opportunity to keep Faf in the side, having introduced him in the last game. We’ve got different combinations that we can use and today I’m very happy that Faf was able to contribute the way he did,” said Fleming in his post-match media conference.
Chasing a modest target of 140, Chennai Super Kings were down in the dumps at 92 for seven before Du Plessis (67 off 42 balls) engineered a stunning comeback.
“The player today who hasn’t played that much came out on a bigger stage of the tournament today and for Faf to do that is testament to his skills set and his mindset as well.
“Sometimes dumb luck... you just pick the guys at the right time and they just play and innings for the team that means so much and we saw one of those today,” the former New Zealand skipper explained, adding, “Sam’s injury made it pretty clear that Faf at 1 and Rayudu at 4 was the way to go.”
The Qualifier 1 against the table toppers was only the fifth game that du Plessis played this season.
The South Africa captain grabbed the opportunity with both hands.
“The game obviously has its ups and downs and turns 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 (Dhoni) is a usual culprit,” Fleming noted.
The former New Zealand captain also heaped praise on young South Africa pacer Lungi Ngidi, who returned figures of 1-20 and accounted for rival opener Shreevats Goswami.
“He (Ngidi) has provided a spearhead for MS and it’s improved the first six overs. So we’re getting wickets in the front, Deepak Chahar is also swinging the ball.
“The two of them have provided opportunities to take wickets and that’s allowed our other bowlers to come into the game a bit more, so he’s (Ngidi) been quite instrumental, certainly reducing the scores we’re chasing,” added Fleming.
Fleming described his team’s performance as just about good.
“We were okay today, Ngidi was great, (Ravindra) Jadeja was very good but it was an okay performance. We have been better, so I guess that’s what we’ll look at over the next four days,” he said.
