The man behind the tattoos

Faf du Plessis' tome of an autobiography, engaging as it is, needs to be read in the context of the country he belongs to.

Faf du Plessis' autobiography — Faf: Through Fire — is a largely engaging read. It is a brutally honest chronicle of his cricketing career as well as his evolution as a leader from someone who didn't necessarily appear to possess the qualities to become one. Although the recurring takes on leadership, culture and relationships can weigh heavy at times, du Plessis' story has to be understood against the backdrop of the country — culturally one of the most diverse — he comes from.

If you are an Indian, it's not odd for you to wonder if South Africa, a country of 60 million, is as heterogeneous as it claims to be. But the African nation is indeed complicated in its composition. Having been under the minority white-imposed Apartheid for decades, the majority of Black South Africa is still struggling to reconcile with the past. There is a constant struggle between what represents the past and what should be the future of the country. Du Plessis' narration of this conflict through the lens of cricket is poignant yet powerful.

Anybody with a passing interest in cricket would be under the impression that du Plessis, with tattoos and neatly gelled hair, is a carefree man. But, as you run through his memoir, you realise that's not the full story. Though du Plessis admits to spending a fair amount of time in front of the mirror, it is as much a literal mirror as it is metaphorical. For, with each significant incident in his life, whether on the field or off it, he gets to reflect on his own flaws, insecurities and loyalties. How he works on each of these inadequacies to become a better human being and leader provides pithy insights into how his mind works.

Talking about his emphasis on appearance, it is quite a transformation for someone who was the exact opposite while still a boy. "Sloppy, untidy and unneat." This was how he was described by his cricket coach Deon Botes at the Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool when I spoke to him on India’s tour of South Africa in 2018 when du Plessis led the Test team.

Faf: Through Fire is replete with anecdotes of such transformations, small or big, throughout his journey. From being jealous to learning to appreciate his childhood friend AB de Villiers' remarkable batting skills; from not being loyal to women to becoming a devoted husband to wife Imari and realising the value of extending his pure love and dedication for cricket to all other things not cricket.

One of the standout features of the book is his sincere effort to make the South African side, ridden by internecine camps based on the colour of players, not just a cricketing force but also an inclusive and empathetic group. In order to achieve these twin objectives, du Plessis gave as much importance to physical, technical and tactical aspects of the game as to "culture and soft human skills".

Feet of clay

Du Plessis' captaincy philosophy itself was shaped by an unpleasant incident early in his career with the Eastern Titans, long before he made his international debut in 2011. He was excited at the prospect of playing alongside South African batsman Daryll Cullinan at the Titans but the very first meeting with his hero turned out to be disastrous.

“I took my kit and went to sit next to him,” he writes. “He turned to me: ‘What the f*** are you doing next to me? Why the f*** are you sitting next to me? Youngster, take your bag and f*** off! Jacques Rudolph is a Test player, but not even he is sitting next to me. He’s sitting on a chair, but you’re sitting on a f***ing bench.’ I hung my head in shame. In a matter of moments, my childhood idol went from hero to zero in my eyes. On that day, I undertook never to speak or behave to anyone the way he had just done towards me, and I kept that promise when I became Proteas captain.”

While he lost all respect for his hero, du Plessis vowed not to make any of his teammates, especially the young ones, feel uncomfortable.

Du Plessis doesn't skirt around incidents that raised a question mark over his integrity during his international career. Twice, he was found guilty of ‘ball-tampering’ and both instances led to amendments in law. Quite a distinction that, as du Plessis himself puts it. He also speaks about how his relationship with de Villiers soured before the 2019 World Cup when he didn't entertain the latter's desire to return to the South African side in order to maintain a team culture that he was instrumental in cultivating. Unfortunately, this very principle, in a way, became one of the reasons for the premature end to his glorious international career as new coach Mark Boucher had little time for "soft human skills."

Du Plessis' tome isn't quite unputdownable, but it's a book worth your time.