He went at a run-a-ball for his first 27 runs, keeping in line with the CSK mantra of taking the game as deep as possible
"How has it been carrying the drinks this season? Is it hard to go from being captain of South Africa to not getting a game?" Kevin Pietersen asked Faf du Plessis during a television interview during this IPL season.
Before Tuesday's match-winning innings against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the Qualifier 1, Faf du Plessis's most notable appearances in this edition of the league came in the form of this interview with KP, and a viral image of him holding a shoe thrown in protest in Chennai during Chennai Super Kings' (CSK) lone game at home this season.
The Proteas skipper played a grand total of three matches before the final weekend of the league stage, and took part in CSK's last game against Kings XI Punjab only because Shane Watson was rested.
Normalcy was supposed to be restored in CSK's qualifier on Tuesday, with Watson coming back in and Faf duly making way for the Aussie.
But CSK's season has been nothing short of a fairy tale so far, and it seems the Cricketing Gods had something else in mind for them yet again.
Sam Billings injured his hip while fielding in the game against KXIP, and although the team management could've pushed him to take the field on Tuesday, they decided against it after he felt "uncomfortable" before the match.
It meant Faf kept his place, and won his team a game he almost missed.
"I think the fate was sort of sealed when Sam was a bit sore," CSK head coach Stephen Fleming said after the team's two-wicket win over SRH.
"It would've surely been a discussion point in which way we would want to go, where to play (Ambati) Rayudu and use him tactically in different areas. So, there were a few moving pieces that we just had to bid down. Sam's injury made it pretty clear that Faf at 1 and Rayudu at 4 was the way to go," he added.
It was indeed the way to go.
Even as he saw one partner after another walking back cheaply in a tricky run-chase, Faf stayed calm. He went at a run-a-ball for his first 27 runs, keeping in line with the CSK mantra of taking the game as deep as possible.
And once he did that, he brought out his full flurry of shots. With 48 needed off the last three overs, du Plessis struck a couple of fours through covers and grilled a maximum over deep midwicket, with a lucky bottom edge fetching him another four to get 20 runs of the Carlos Brathwaite over.
And as has been the case with most CSK chases this season, the man who engineered the heroics hit the winning runs, with the South African sending the ball back above Bhuvneshwar Kumar's head for a six to add another chapter to CSK's great escapes book this season.
"You just pick the guys at the right time and they play an innings for the team that means so much and we saw one of those today (Tuesday)," Fleming said, "And for Faf to do that is testament to not just his skills set, but his mindset as well."
Speaking on a separate issue of slow over-rate in the game, Fleming said jokingly during his answer: "Faf is like a Ferrari car, he needs a lot of attention."
About time CSK gave South Africa captain-turned-drinksman-turned-match-winner that attention.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "Faf du Plessis")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}