Faf du Plessis talks in detail about his auto-biography “Through Fire”

Today is a very special day for the RCB skipper, Faf du Plessis as his autobiography, “Through Fire” hits the book racks. In a completely different take from his usual cricketing glam, Faf has talked about secrets that have shaped him as the bloke that he has become today, a crucible forged out of fire.

The book isn’t just about the greatness scaled by the former South African captain in the 22 yards but also about the man whom we knew very little of. It talks about his insecurities, his fallacies and his slump from a close and very personal perspective.

Talking to ESPNCricinfo, Faf said, “I opened myself up completely. And this book was not about saying I am right. I'm not saying I'm right. In fact, I'm saying the opposite. I'm saying I'm weak, or I did things wrong and I learnt from that."

He also highlighted that his book isn’t just a reflection of numbers that he has achieved through the years. He wanted his fans to know what goes on inside in the minutest of details. He said, “The purpose of the book is that every story that I write in it has some sort of impact on the relationships in my life. Most importantly, the through line, right through the book is leadership. So even sometimes when a story seems like it's about someone, it's actually not really about someone; it's how I experienced it in my perspective."

He also talked at length about leading the diversified bunch of players that South Africa has in their ranks and he revealed, “I thought I understood what it meant like captaining a diverse team but obviously I didn't. If you're intentional about improving as a leader, then you'll pick up on those small things that you're not getting right.”

Despite all the controversies against Boucher, Du Plessis wrote about how great a coach the former South African wicket-keeper is, stating, “I speak about what a good cricket coach he is and I think he was the right guy to be appointed as coach back then. I still believe to this day, from where I'm sitting now and not playing for the Proteas, that he's the right guy for the job because he's a fantastic cricket coach.”

He also shed some light on his relationship with Mark, stating, “From a leadership point of view, I thought we were a little different. People think that the relationship between myself and Bouch is a bad relationship, but it's not. I just explained the things that I struggled with as a person. I struggled to connect with him in the way a captain should do with a coach and then also struggled to do so as a player."