Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batsman Faf du Plessis said that his new opening partner Ruturaj Gaikwad looks like a young Virat Kohli, referring to his technique and temperament during the games.
The 23-year old Maharashtra batsman became the first CSK player to score three consecutive half-centuries and he also got the Player of the Match awards in all three of them. His comeback into form after scores of 0, 5 and 0 has been inspirational for CSK as they have won all their last three games.
What stands out to me the most is his composure. You can see, pressure or the game situation doesn’t really get to him and that’s always really pleasing, seeing in a young guy. That’s almost a quality that you look for that takes you to that next level. He looks like he’s got a big, bright future ahead of him.Faf du Plessis, CSK batsman, on Ruturaj Gaikwad
‘Red Wine is the Term That I Use for Myself’
Speaking after his side’s win against the Kings XI Punjab on Sunday, Faf du Plessis said that he is like red wine - getting better with age - when asked if he will come back next year in the IPL.
Du Plessis, who has given up captaincy of South Africa from all formats, believes that he still has a lot of cricket left in him and can contribute for whichever team he plays.
“I’m still loving it. The first thing was to try and come back to the IPL. I have a lot of cricket left in me, at least 5 more years. I’m very pumped to try and be here for as long as possible.”
Du Plessis was one of the few positives for CSK in this year’s IPL as he amassed 449 runs at an average of 40.81 and smashed 4 half-centuries. He currently stands at No 3 on the list of players with the most runs.
Talking about his performance, du Plessis said he really enjoyed this year in the IPL. He said that after 5-6 months of no cricket, there were new challenges in terms of what he wanted to achieve in the future of the game as he is coming to that sort of age. He added that he wanted to put in some good work so that he could be the fitter version of himself.
‘You Say CSK and You Think of MS Dhoni’
Referring to the ‘Definitely Not’ remark of CSK skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni at the toss, where he confirmed that he will be playing next year’s IPL, Du Plessis said that CSK is synonymous with MS Dhoni.
“When you say CSK, you think of MS Dhoni. And, also I think IPL need MS Dhoni to play. He’s such a big player, the fans love him so much, so why not.” Adding that it was a ‘hell no’ to the rumours of his retirement by Dhoni, du Plessis agreed to the fact that Dhoni being such a big player, a lot of expectations and pressure also come with that.
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