‘As a captain, I’m not going to be MS Dhoni.’ RCB captain Faf du Plessis. ‘MS Dhoni is an outstanding captain,’ says Faf du Plessis.
Faf du Plessis replaced Virat Kohli as captain of the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) before of the IPL 2022. In his debut season as RCB captain, the former South Africa captain has demonstrated great leadership abilities. He also led the squad to the IPL finals.
Du Plessis is regarded as one of the finest fielders of all time, as well as the most successful skipper across all versions of the game. The Proteas star discussed his desire to skipper the team and what he has learnt from previous and present IPL captains.
“I believe what was really beneficial for me to go through was, even with all of that, the conviction that I am 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 leader. I need to be myself in order to be loyal to who I am as a person. Because if you’re not being yourself, people will see through it. Maybe not while you’re doing well, but when you’re under pressure or underperforming, the true you will emerge,” he remarked on the RCB Podcast Season 2.
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Du Plessis also thanked the Chennai Super Kings for giving him a chance when he was younger.
The 38-year-old cricketer added that CSK coach Stephen Fleming is one of the best leaders he has ever encountered. He also spoke up about his experience working with MS Dhoni, calling him “amazing” as a captain.
“In a youngish stage in my work, I was given the opportunity to travel to Chennai. Stephen Fleming is a fantastic leader in the game, certainly for New Zealand cricket as well. His being a man manager, a guy who just focuses on relationships, was a unique element. And I think to myself, Wow, that’s remarkable.
“During my first season at CSK, I sat next to him (Fleming) and basically asked him questions about captaincy and leadership, tried to absorb as much as I could. And then you add MS to the mix, and you go, Wow, this guy’s strategically strange to read the game this way. And you think, Well, he’s a good captain,” he remarked.
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