3 best Faf du Plessis knocks against India
A very special player who is still dominating white-ball cricket all around the globe, Faf du Plessis is celebrating his 39th birthday today (July 13).
A mainstay for South African cricket in the post-Jacques Kallis era, Faf du Plessis has established himself as one of the greatest all-format batsmen in modern times.
He has represented South Africa in 69 Tests, 143 ODIs, and 50 T20Is, but that would not have been possible if not for the implementation of the then-new immigration policy from England, which resulted in Faf du Plessis being unable to continue as a Kolpak player in English county cricket.
Du Plessis has scored 4,163, 5,507 and 1,528 runs in Tests, ODIs and T20Is respectively. However, a natural leader and a fielder par excellence, the Pretoria-born cricketer has always contributed to his teams' success through more than just his bat.
Talking about his career, he has always liked playing against India, especially in white-ball cricket - where he thrives against the spinners like no other.
In this article, we will talk about some of the best innings Faf du Plessis has played against India.
3 best knocks of Faf du Plessis against India
#3. 120, Kingsmead, Durban, 2018 (ODI)
It was a day-night game in Durban, and South Africa's batsmen were struggling big time against the spin duo of Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.
But Faf du Plessis stood tall and anchored the innings along with Chris Morris. He demonstrated that tackling the spin duo was not impossible if one applied himself.
He finished his innings with 120 runs from 112 deliveries and ensured that his team finished with a respectable total of 269/8, giving his bowlers something to bowl at.
However, a century from Virat Kohli made a mockery of the total, and India chased down the target inside the 46th over to take a 1-0 lead in the six-match series.
#2. 133*, Wankhede, Mumbai, 2015 (ODI)
It was a runfest on a belter of a surface at Wankhede, 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, and that too at a quicker pace than du Plessis' (133 from 115), and one could easily say that his exploits were overshadowed by their knocks.
However, it was du Plessis who once again anchored the innings, allowing other batsmen to score freely around him. Despite struggling with his hamstring, he continued to bat for his team, and helped compile a mammoth total of 438/4.
Even de Villiers was all praises for du Plessis' innings at the time, saying:
"Faf didn't get enough credit for this knock. He came in under very difficult conditions in the middle of the innings, when Indian spinners started dominating a bit. He controlled the innings very well, which allowed Quinton and me to sort of free up in the middle."
#1. 134, Wanderers, Johannesburg, 2013 (Test)
It was probably one of the best innings from Faf du Plessis, who almost pulled off a miracle against India at Johannesburg in 2013.
Chasing 458 in the fourth innings, South Africa, despite getting a solid start from the openers, suffered a collapse and got reduced from 108/0 to 197/4.
That brought Faf and AB de Villiers together at the crease. Du Plessis was once again looking to hold the innings together, with the latter playing his natural game. The Indian bowlers were looking 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 du Plessis 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.