'CSK are the opposite of what South Africa are like in World Cups,' says Faf du Plessis

Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batsman Faf du Plessis has stated that the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise's consistency is in stark contrast to his national side South Africa's performances in World Cups.

Speaking on an Instagram Live session with Pommie Mbangwa, Faf du Plessis touched upon various topics, such as his time at the helm of the Proteas and his experiences with CSK under the leadership of MS Dhoni.

He stated that there's always the confidence that someone will step up to win the game at Chennai.

"That's (CSK's never-say-die attitude) the opposite of what we (South Africa) are like in World Cups. No matter how bad it looks on the field, there's a confidence in the dressing room that someone will pull through. A lot of the time, it's someone different. MS Dhoni is one guy who's done a lot of it but the rest of the guys share the load in winning games," said Faf du Plessis.

"It's just a confidence thing by doing it over and over again, so you're a lot more relaxed. From a South African perspective in World Cups, we haven't done it. When you get to a 50-50 perspective, the game just slides to the opposition the majority of the time," he added.

The former South African captain was also asked about the environment in the CSK dressing room, and he praised the senior cricketers in the side for lending their valuable experience.

"My experience with Chennai has been a really calm dressing room, a good captain, a good coach in the side. Last year, we got called the Grandads' XI, but that's experience. There are a lot of thinking cricketers in the dressing room and many international captains as well," Faf du Plessis said.

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'CSK are like the old Manchester United team': Faf du Plessis

Faf du Plessis after taking CSK to the IPL 2018 final

The batsman also stated that CSK can be compared to the legendary Manchester United team under Alex Ferguson, who were renowned for their uncanny ability to score goals in the dying minutes of games to rescue points.

"Think of the old Man United team. How many times did they score goals in the last minutes of the game? They'd be behind but they'd find a way to win. It's like that (at CSK), it's just the confidence that comes with winning," said Faf du Plessis.

Mbangwa then asked the 35-year-old if the rumours about CSK having very few team meetings are true, to which Du Plessis replied in the affirmative.

"With MS, there's nothing, he just leads by example. The Indian players are so inspired by being around him that their game gets lifted to another level. Flem (Stephen Fleming), from a coach point of view, he's super chill and does most of his coaching one-on-one in the buildup to a game. Team chats, batting meetings, bowlers' meetings? Nada," he concluded.

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Faf du Plessis at CSK

The right-hander was part of CSK from 2011 to 2015, before the franchise's ban from the IPL. He played for the Rising Pune Supergiant in their absence but made a return to Chepauk in the 2018 season.

In Qualifier 1 against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, Du Plessis scored an unbeaten 67 off 42 balls to single-handedly take his side to the final, which they would go on to win against the same opposition on the back of Shane Watson's scintillating hundred.