NEW DELHI: Faf du Plessis draws inspiration from MS Dhoni's leadership, yet as he takes charge of the Johannesburg Super Kings in the upcoming SA20, he plans to lead in his own distinctive style, keeping his sights on representing South Africa in the T20 World Cup in June.
Even though he currently captains the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL, Du Plessis continues to hold a special place in the hearts of Yellow Shirt fans. Witnessing him don the "JSK" uniform brings a sense of joy and nostalgia among the fans.
So will SA20 act as a vehicle for one last shot at the global trophy?
"Final crack... it is first about getting back from injury, looking forward to playing cricket again," he put things in perspective during the captains' press interaction on Monday.
"Obviously, the tournament is the most important thing, I just want to make sure I play good cricket. It is a great time for us to be still involved in the game. Then we'll see what happens after that."
In captaining a franchise that will forever be synonymous with Dhoni, du Plessis remains open to seeking insights from senior players while simultaneously aiming to imprint his own leadership style on the Johannesburg Super Kings.
"It was great to be part of that dressing room as a young guy. Probably my biggest learning curve was to work under Stephen Fleming and MS Dhoni. At the start of my leadership journey to see how the big guys do things, it was great to learn," he said.
He recollected when he first got into CSK.
"My first season, it was all about sitting and asking questions and observing. MS is captain cool, he is very calm under pressure and it is very important to be relaxed."
It is important to have originality, he said.
"When you play under some great leaders you also understand that it is important to do things in a way that is going to work for you. You just can't copy different styles all the time."
(With PTI inputs)
