Bengaluru: After becoming captain of Royal Challengers Banglore (RCB), Faf du Plessis heaped praise on Chennai Super Kings captain MS Dhoni, calling him a fantastic leader.
“I think I’ve been very lucky that I’ve been around some fantastic leaders in my journey in cricket. I grew up with Graeme Smith, who was one of South Africa’s best leaders ever. Then 10 years with MS Dhoni and Stephen Fleming, two fantastic leaders. I do think there are similarities in MS’s style and my style in that we’re very relaxed characters. MS is a fantastic leader and has had the most success in terms of silverware than any other captain in the world. It has been a privilege to be a part of that journey,” du Plessis told RCB.
“The crazy thing is, when I started over in Chennai, I had this idea of what captaincy looks like. And MS was the complete opposite of what I thought it would have looked like! Because my culture was South African, right? So I came to this environment and I was like, ‘this guy was completely different than I thought what it should be,” he added.
The South African further added that no two captains can be identical.
“What it taught me was that there were different styles, but it is important that you need to be your own style. Because that’s the thing that always comes through when the pressure is on. So, I can’t try to be Virat Kohli because I’m not Virat Kohli. I can’t try to be MS Dhoni. But there are things I’ve learned that helped me grow my leadership style and mature. So, I’m grateful for that journey,” he said.
