‘In the big moments, you want experience’ – Faf du Plessis on T20s

Faf du Plessis became the latest in his 30s to hold up the candle for older players in T20s.

The Indian Premier League 2018 has already seen several players debunking the myth that the format is one for the youngsters – Chris Gayle, Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Shane Watson, to name a few.

On Tuesday 22 May, Chennai Super Kings’ du Plessis scored a 42-ball 67* against Sunrisers Hyderabad, even as the other batsmen from both sides struggled, and it proved the difference in a low-scoring encounter.

The two-wicket victory in Qualifier 1 meant Chennai sealed a slot in the final for the seventh time.

That they would be in this position was not predicted by many before the tournament started, given the Chennai management had put together a side considered ‘too old’ during the auction in January – it went completely against common T20 wisdom of prioritising youth.

Thereafter, Chennai found themselves having to defend the policy, despite excellent displays on the field, with Stephen Fleming, the Chennai coach and former New Zealand captain, exasperated to the point of stating, “They are 35-36, not 55-56!”

“I go back to the fact that experienced and professional players dominate a big part of the IPL,” he said. “These guys still have a lot of cricket to play. Yes, it is exciting to see young players come and perform. But overall in a season, I look for consistency and professionalism. I've found the older players are still motivated and committed. They get you consistency.”

The numbers back him up. Four of the current top 10 scorers in the tournament are above 32 – AB de Villiers, Ambati Rayudu, Dinesh Karthik and Dhoni himself. Among the bowlers, there are two of the same vintage – Sunil Narine, who touches the mark in four days, and Andrew Tye.

And as Dhoni reflected on du Plessis’s knock, in just his fifth outing this season, he once again went back to experience. “Faf's innings is where experience counts,” he said. “It's not easy to not play a lot of games, but I always say you need to train your mind as well. That's where the experience comes in. You visualise what your role is, how you can contribute, and Faf has been brilliant.”

There are no surprises with the experienced players – you know what you are going to get – and that consistency is an unheralded weapon. “The vision that the franchise had, of keeping experienced players, was something a lot of people questioned,” pointed out du Plessis. “We have a few old bodies in the team, but in big moments you want experience there.

“There's been a lot of occasions – go back to Dwayne Bravo early on in the season (against Mumbai Indians) – so it's nice we have so many experienced players to rely on. Chennai's been to seven finals, so the experience of big games, MS understands what to ask of the players. We're playing our best cricket at the moment.”

Chennai stand a chance to win their third IPL trophy, but even if they don’t, they have already dented the larger narrative – the commonly-held T20 theory is changing.