Faf du Plessis names Indian skipper similar to ex-Pak captain Sarfaraz and it's NOT Dhoni

Ever since taking over the reins of Team India from MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli's captaincy has often been the talk of the town on different occasions. While MS Dhoni led India to three ICC titles with his cool and composed nature on the field, Kohli's captaincy has been quite contrasting as the 33-year-old never shies away from expressing his aggression on the pitch. 

Former South African skipper Faf du Plessis, who is now gearing up to play in the PSL after his recent run-scoring spree in the IPL 2021, drew an interesting comparison centred around Virat Kohli. Having played under MS Dhoni at the Chennai Super Kings and now set to play under former Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Khan at the Quetta Gladiators, du Plessis said that former India captain is 'quiet and reserved' on the field, unlike Sarfaraz Khan. Notably, the Proteas batsman observed that Sarfaraz Khan's captaincy is more similar to that of Virat Kohli. 

'Sarfaraz is the opposite..'

"MS Dhoni is quiet and reserved, does most of his things instinctively on the field. Sarfaraz is the opposite… almost like Virat (Kohli). Always talking to the players, always to the bowlers, always very passionate about how he captains his team, and he shows it. So, there is no right and wrong way. These are just two different styles,” du Plessis said in an interview with Cricket Pakistan.

Excited to play alongside Sarfaraz, du Plessis added that he himself is 'passionate' about leadership and would be willing to offer his inputs to the Gladiators' skipper as PSL resumes. As a captain himself, Faf du Plessis led South Africa in 36 Tests, winning 18 and losing 15. His record in limited-overs as a captain is also formidable as they won 51 and lost 23 games in 76 ODIs and T20s combined.

On the other hand, Sarfaraz Ahmed will be leading the Gladiators in the remainder of the PSL which was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sarfaraz Ahmed had led Pakistan to their biggest ICC title win in recent years when they went on to beat India in the final of the Champions Trophy in 2017 - marking their first victory against the Men in Blue in an ICC event. 

“He’s obviously been captain of Pakistan and has got the best out of players. I’ve always enjoyed playing under different leaders just to see how they go about their business because I also am pretty passionate about leadership myself so it’s nice for me to be able to see how he does things and offer my inputs if he wants to take it,” added du Plessis.

When will PSL 2021 resume?

The sixth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL 2021) was postponed indefinitely with immediate effect on March 4 after six players featuring in the competition tested positive for COVID-19. It was announced last month that the Pakistan Cricket Board would organise the remainder of PSL matches in UAE.

In April, the Pakistan Cricket Board had announced that the remaining matches were rescheduled to start on June 1, 2021. However, on 4 May 2021, all of the teams asked the PCB to move the remaining matches to the UAE due to a surge in COVID-19 cases in Pakistan as a result of which the neighboring country's cricket board had proposed to hold the entire tournament in Abu Dhabi. The Pakistani T20 tournament will now resume on June 9 with a final set for June 24. As many as 6 double-headers are scheduled, with an early start of the matches at 5 PM and the evening matches at 10pm local time.