Faf du Plessis beats Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid for best Test innings in Australia

Former South Africa captain Faf du Plessis finds himself at the top of an exclusive top 20 club churned out by cricket.com.au. To commemorate the start of a new decade, the website recently chronicled the top 20 batting efforts witnessed ‘Down Under’ between the years 2000 and 2020. The right-handed batsman, who plays for CSK in the IPL, pipped the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Ricky Ponting to be placed at No.1 as he became the fourth South African to feature in the elite club of batting brilliance.

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Faf du Plessis’ match-saving 110* tops Cricket Australia’s ‘Top 20 in 2020’ batting list

In November 2012, the South African cricket team toured Australia for a three-match Test series. While the first Test ended in a draw, the then Australian captain Michael Clarke won the toss in the second Test and opted to bat first at the Adelaide Oval. On the back of Clarke’s heroic 230, the home side compiled 550 in their first innings. Australia secured a 162-run lead which they further extended to leave South Africa an imposing target of 430.

However, the Proteas took a cautious effort as they went ahead and grinded out 148 overs to secure a memorable draw. Faf du Plessis, in his Test debut itself, scored a fighting 110* off 376 balls. He occupied 466 minutes at the crease and defied the likes of Peter Siddle and Nathan Lyon, who bowled 83 overs between them. Earlier, Faf du Plessis also scored 78 runs in the first-innings to back up his match-saving recital.

It is believed that Faf had the philosophy of 'I will die but you can't ever get my wicket' in that innings, something which he made public as well in a post-match interaction after his successful innings.

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Faf du Plessis’ match-saving 110* caps off dream debut, watch video

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Cricket Australia’s ‘Top 20 in 2020’

Apart from Faf du Plessis, premier Australian batsman Michael Clarke’s 230 in the same match made a cut into the top 20 list (at no.9) by Cricket Australia. Former Indian cricketers and behemoths of Test cricket Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid also feature in the high-profile list for their batting efforts during the 2003-04 Border-Gavaskar Test series ‘Down Under’. While Sachin Tendulkar’s 241 at the Sydney Cricket Ground was placed at no.6, Rahul Dravid’s 233 and 72* in Adelaide was ranked no.3.

IPL 2020: Faf du Plessis in CSK

Faf du Plessis is a popular cricketing figure among Indian fans for his association with fan-favourite Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK). The Proteas batsman first joined CSK in IPL 2011 and will continue to reprise his role in the now-postponed IPL 2020 season. During the IPL 2020 trading and transfer window, Faf du Plessis became one of the 20 cricketers to be retained by the franchise from their squad of previous season.

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