Faf du Plessis: The Unexpected Leg-Spin Wizard
Ahead of their first home match of the IPL season, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) players were stumped by a trivia question: who was the first current RCB player to take two consecutive 5-wicket hauls in T20s?
To everyone’s surprise, the answer was none other than their captain, Faf du Plessis. Back in 2011 and 2012, du Plessis achieved this feat in the South African domestic circuit with his leg-spin skills.
His second five-wicket haul was particularly impressive, as it included wickets of Quinton de Kock, Neil McKenzie, Dwaine Pretorius, Chris Morris, and Thami Tsolekile, all of whom represented South Africa.
Du Plessis’ bowling prowess extends beyond T20s. He has also picked up 2 ODI wickets and has a respectable bowling record across first-class, List A, and T20 cricket. In T20s, he has claimed 50 wickets at an average of 18.34 and an economy rate of 6.96.
Despite his bowling abilities, du Plessis has opted to focus on his batting in recent years. However, his teammates were quick to express their surprise and admiration for his leg-spin skills.
“Who bowls leg-spin? Faf? What!” exclaimed Virat Kohli. “Faf, I never expected you to do that!” added Dinesh Karthik.
As RCB prepares to take on Punjab in their first home game of the season, it remains to be seen whether du Plessis will showcase his bowling talents once again.
