Faf du Plessis, a celebrated cricketer, is celebrating his 39th birthday today. He is known for his exceptional skills in white-ball cricket and has established himself as one of the greatest all-format batsmen in modern times. He has been a mainstay for South African cricket in the post-Jacques Kallis era and has contributed to his team’s success in more ways than one. He has represented South Africa in 69 Tests, 143 ODIs, and 50 T20Is, and has scored 4,163, 5,507 and 1,528 runs in Tests, ODIs and T20Is, respectively.
Also read: “Better To Play With Virat Kohli Than Against Him”: Says Faf Du Plessis in latest Interview
Du Plessis has always been a natural leader and an excellent fielder, which has helped him to contribute to his team’s success. However, his talent is not limited to his bat. He has always liked playing against India, especially in white-ball cricket, where he thrives against spinners like no other. In this article, we will discuss some of Faf du Plessis’ best innings against India.
It is noteworthy that Faf du Plessis would not have been able to represent South Africa in international cricket if not for the implementation of the then-new immigration policy from England. This policy resulted in him being unable to continue as a Kolpak player in English county cricket. Despite this setback, Faf du Plessis has continued to dominate white-ball cricket all around the globe, and his contribution to the sport will always be remembered.
3 best knocks of Faf du Plessis against India
120, Kingsmead, Durban, 2018 (ODI)
In a day-night game in Durban, South Africa’s batsmen were struggling against the spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal. But Faf du Plessis stood tall and anchored the innings with Chris Morris. He showed that it was not impossible to tackle the spin duo if one applied himself. He scored 120 runs from 112 deliveries and ensured that his team finished with a respectable total of 269/8. This gave his bowlers something to bowl at.
Unfortunately, Virat Kohli’s century made a mockery of the total, and India chased down the target in the 46th over to take a 1-0 lead in the six-match series. Despite the loss, Faf du Plessis proved his mettle against the spinners and showed that he was capable of handling tough situations.
133*, Wankhede, Mumbai, 2015 (ODI)
The Wankhede surface was a runfest, with the ball coming nicely onto the bat and traveling rapidly on a lightning-fast outfield. AB de Villiers (119 from 61) and Quinton de Kock (109 from 87) also scored centuries in that game, at a quicker pace than du Plessis’ (133 from 115).Therefore, it could be said that his exploits were overshadowed by their knocks. However, it was du Plessis who once again anchored the innings and allowed other batsmen to score freely around him.
Despite struggling with his hamstring, Faf continued to bat for his team and helped compile a mammoth total of 438/4. De Villiers praised Faf’s innings, saying he didn’t get enough credit for his knock. Faf came in under difficult conditions in the middle of the innings when Indian spinners started dominating. He controlled the innings well, which allowed Quinton and de Villiers to free up in the middle.
134, Wanderers, Johannesburg, 2013 (Test)
Faf du Plessis almost pulled off a miracle against India at Johannesburg in 2013 when he played one of his best innings. South Africa, chasing 458 in the fourth innings, had a solid start from the openers. However, they suffered a collapse and got reduced from 108/0 to 197/4.Faf and AB de Villiers came together at the crease .Du Plessis was once again looking to hold the innings together, while AB played his natural game. The Indian bowlers were helpless against these two as they stitched together a 205-run partnership. Two quick wickets brought India back into the game, but they knew the match was still in the balance with Faf on the crease. An unfortunate run-out 16 runs short of the target ended his fabulous 134-run innings, which almost made India sweat in their defense. The match ended in a draw, as Stumps were called with the hosts just eight runs short of the target at 450/7.
