Faf du Plessis opines on his return after a concussion forced break
Faf du Plessis is confident that he is fully fit to take the field once again. The South African cricketer was forced to take a break from the game after he suffered a severe concussion during the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Faf du Plessis collided with a teammate of his, and as a result, missed a few months of cricketing action. The 37-year-old stated that he tried to play in The Hundred tournament, but he still suffered concussion symptoms, and it got worse when he wielded the willow.
Faf du Plessis added that he has worked in a rehab program, and a few specialists in England have helped him as well. The right-handed batsman even stated that he has just one last hurdle to cross, after which he will be ready to play cricket once again.
“I went over for the first match [in the Hundred] to try and play, but I still suffered quite severe concussion symptoms quite badly and especially with the batting it got worse. It’s been three or four weeks since then [during] which I have worked hard in trying to get back to normal with a good rehab programme, and specialists in England helped me with. Today is the last hurdle when [I am] just making sure I pass the full practice at full intensity. And if I do that, then I’ll be ready to play [his team’s CPL opener],” said du Plessis as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
There is a lot of cricket this year and I still need to play: Faf du Plessis
Faf du Plessis further revealed that missing out on three months of cricketing action is not a nice feeling, and added that he needs to get back to the field as there is still a lot of cricket left this year.
“There’s a lot of cricket this year that I still need to play. As I mentioned earlier, missing three months of cricket is not something that is very nice. So I am just really looking forward to getting back out on the field,” said du Plessis.
The IPL will restart in 3 weeks’ time, and du Plessis will offer his services for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) side. Adding that the MS Dhoni-led side is more balanced for the UAE leg than for the first half of the tournament, du Plessis concluded by stating that he hopes that the CSK outfit can continue from where they left off in the first half of the competition.
“I think our squad at Chennai is better balanced for the Dubai leg than it was for the previous [half of] IPL. Second thing [is that] we had been playing some really good cricket in the first half of the IPL, so I hope that form is something that can hopefully continue – similar to myself, [I] had a really strong first half of the IPL. So I’d like to continue [from] where I left off. But for now, it is just about getting back to playing cricket,” concluded du Plessis.
MS Dhoni is probably the most influential captain: Faf du Plessis
South Africa batter Faf du Plessis is currently in West Indies captaining St Lucia Kings in Caribbean Premier League (CPL), which got underway from Thursday. Things didn’t seem to be the same four months ago when Du Plessis while taking a catch in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) collided with a fielder and subsequently got concussed. It took the right-hand batter more time than he thought to return to cricket fully after that concussion scare.
Now, he is fully recovered from it and will play the entire duration of the CPL which concludes on September 14, and as well participate in the second half of the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which is set to resume on September 19 in the UAE.
The 38-year-old had a good first half of IPL in India, wherein he managed to score 320 runs for Chennai Super Kings (CSK). He also anchored the innings well and formed a potent opening combination with Ruturaj Gaikwad at the top. CSK also got back to winning ways and are currently placed second on the points table. The team has reached Dubai and, the preparations have begun.
Du Plessis spoke to a few reporters ahead of his CPL team’s opening game against Jamaica Tallawahs, “We have played good cricket; hopefully, the form will continue. I had a strong first half, and I hope to continue from where I left off [in India]. We are a better-balanced squad from the previous season,” Faf said as quoted by Sportstar.
Faf du Plessis feels the selection process of CSK has been phenomenal
The right-hand batter further opined that the selection process of the franchise in Yellow has been brilliant and, that is the prime reason why CSK has been successful as a team over the years. He also feels MS Dhoni is the biggest factor for the players doing well.
“CSK always had a strong side on the cricket field. They always looked at getting good leaders. At one stage, they had four international captains playing for CSK. They rely on a lot of smart cricketers, and mixing that with the experience of playing under MS Dhoni is the biggest factor. He is probably the most influential captain in the game. The last 10 years have been good for me, extremely grateful for the learning I had,” he said.
