A night of du Plessis special

It was not easy for Faf du Plessis to came out to bat and play a match-winning knock after having played only five games out of 14 in this season of Indian Premier League. But it was such his class which single-handedly took Chennai Super Kings through to their 7th IPL final, at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Tuesday (May 22).

Du Plessis was up against arguably the best bowling attack of this IPL and that made his knock even more special. He came out as an opener and show his partners on the other end kept losing their wickets at regular space. He found a partner in Shardul Thakur who played a short bat valuable innings along with him.



With 43 required in 18 balls, first, du Plessis with 20 runs to Brathwaite in 18th over and after that Thakur with 17 runs to Siddarth Kaul seal the deal for CSK. With six required in last over, du Plessis hit a six on the first ball and finished the game with five balls to spare. Du Plessis was also awarded Man Of The Match for his heroic knock of 67* off 42 balls.

"It's nice to make a contribution tonight. Haven't played much. Last night when I was preparing, I reflected on the games I have played here in Mumbai. It is a stadium I have enjoyed playing. Took confidence from that. I just got in the change room now and said, how did we win that game. It felt just a little out of reach. It was great that guys came in and hit a few boundaries in the end. Everything went our way towards the end on a wicket which wasn't easy to bat on"

"Rashid Khan was a handful on that wicket. He was really really tough to play on that wicket and he bowls quickly. It is hard to take him on. Our plan got through him and see which bowler to take down on the night. Towards the end, I was just trying to place a few," said du Plessis while receiving Man of the match.



Shardul Thakur, who had a forgettable night with the ball as conceded 50 runs in his 4 overs but his handful cameo of 15* off 5 balls overshadowed his bowling figure.

"I thought it was good and it was important for me to give some runs and so that Faf could finish it. He(Faf) was set. I kept saying to the coaches that I can bat. Last year I got out twice while playing for Pune when I had an opportunity. This time I ensured I finished the game. MS said 'Pic the balls and react'. Faf and I discussed what to do. He was saying me to take the single, but it worked the other way around. We kept getting the boundaries. That's what people want. In the end, they got some. The belief was always there. If you have to win, you need to have the belief," said Thakur.

With this win, CSK becomes the first team to reach into the final but they will have to wait who will be their opponent in final.

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