Have never seen Imran Tahir like that: Faf du Plessis

South African captain Faf du Plessis was mighty pleased to complete a 5-0 whitewash against Australia. The performances have been stellar but the standout moment of the final ODI was Imran Tahir’s celebration. He celebrated in his usual way. But the moment that grabbed eyeballs was when he had a verbal exchange with David Warner.

Warner was playing exceedingly well and Tahir tried to get the better off Warner. The umpires had to intervene to separate Tahir from barging into Warner. Talking about the incident after the match, Faf du Plessis admitted that he had never seen this side of Tahir. He mentioned that Tahir is a gem of a character. He remarked that Tahir wears his heart on his sleeves and is an emotional guy.

“He wears his heart on his sleeve. He loves doing well. I haven’t seen him like that but it just shows how badly he wanted to win the game,” du Plessis said. He added that seeing Warner play so well, Tahir wanted to have a psychological impact on the Aussie “He realised David Warner was playing a great knock and he had to try and get under his skin. They had a few words,”

Commenting on whether Tahir would be fined or reprimanded, Faf defended his teammate. He said there is absolutely nothing wrong in celebrating this way. He also pointed out that everything was sorted by the end of the game. The two players did patch up. “I don’t see anything wrong with that. When Immi was done, they put their arms around each other’s shoulder said lets have a beer afterwards. Immi is obviously going to have a glass of water,” du Plessis mocked.

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He wasn’t hesitant to admit that Imran Tahir has been his main man. “He is an absolute gun,” du Plessis quoted. He believes it is his addition to the team that has helped South Africa reach the helm of ICC ODI rankings. “He is the reason we are where we are in one-day cricket. He is a competitor, he wants to win games and he wanted to show everyone that he is still our No.1 which he is. He is my banker,” du Plessis proudly said.

The modest South African skipper also said that the whitewash wasn’t expected. But they were keen on winning the series. It was only after leading 3-0 that they thought of whitewashing the Australians. “We didn’t expect 5-0; we just wanted to beat the Aussies,” du Plessis said. “And then when we got to 3-0, it was important for us to make sure we don’t take our foot off the gas. We wanted to make history and we did that,” he conceded.

The skipper just wants to enjoy the moment and celebrate with his team. He affirms that the win will have a long lasting impact on the team. “It’s a special feeling. I am hoping tomorrow when we wake up, we will see this incredible team effort and it will last a long time. I am incredibly proud to sit here and be captain of a side that has done that. We were a team right through the series,” he added further.

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