Faf du Plessis was dispatched to replace an injured Sam Billings, says Stephen Fleming
According to CSK coach Stephen Fleming, Faf du Plessis had to be picked in the side as Sam Billings had suffered an injury earlier in the week. The South Africa skipper stole the show last night as he single-handedly paved the way for Chennai Super Kings to make it into the final of the 2018 IPL.
Faf du Plessis single-handedly chased down the 140 set by Sunrisers Hyderabad and delivered an unbeaten 67-run knock that helped the team win the first qualifier. Fleming said that du Plessis got a chance to play in the game because of an injury to Sam Billings. Having returned from the two-year ban, two-time champions CSK has maintained tradition by making it into their seventh final which was made possible by the stunning performance delivered by du Plessis.
“Sam got hurt in the last game. He fell awkwardly on his hip and it has been quite bruised. He probably could’ve played if he was pushed but he was uncomfortable. So we just took that opportunity to keep Faf in the side, having introduced him in the last game. We’ve got different combinations that we can use and today I’m very happy that Faf was able to contribute the way he did,” said Fleming in his post-match media conference.
Though the target to chase was a mediocre 140, CSK struggled against Sunrisers Hyderabad's threatening bowling attack, who took out all of CSK's best performers one by one. As things were looking glum for CSK at 92 for seven, Faf du Plessis reinstilled hope for the team by smashing 67 off 42 balls, which included four sixes and five fours.
“The player today who hasn’t played that much came out on a bigger stage of the tournament today and for Faf to do that is
Qualifier 1 against table toppers Sunrisers Hyderabad was only the fifth game that du Plessis has played this season. Nevertheless, the South Africa captain made a strong statement with the bat in last night’s match.
“The game obviously has its ups and downs and turns but we have had a season where we have won from unwinnable positions. Today was one of those, it seems. It’s been individual players who have got us out of trouble and different players all the time. Of course, MS (Dhoni) is a usual culprit,” the CSK coach noted.
Stephen Fleming also praised young pacer Lungi Ngidi, who returned with figures of 1/20. The young South African bowler helped slow down the Sunrisers’ batting attack by taking the wicket of rival opener
“He (Ngidi) has provided a spearhead for MS and it’s improved the first six overs. So we’re getting wickets in the front, Deepak Chahar is also swinging the ball. The two of them have provided opportunities to take wickets and that’s allowed our other bowlers to come into the game a bit more, so he’s (Ngidi) been quite instrumental, certainly reducing the scores we’re chasing,” added Fleming.
Fleming explained that the team’s performance was just about okay and that they have seen better days.
“We were okay today, Ngidi was great, (Ravindra) Jadeja was very good but it was an okay performance. We have been better, so I guess that’s what we’ll look at over the next four days,” he said.
