Happy birthday, Faf – A man they call the Song of Ice and Fire

In the soaring heat, your team’s spirit is in shambles after a mammoth 225 has been posted. Your team’s engine room has misfired time and time again and if someone could get your team the desired start to at least try and provide a fighting chance against what seemed like an unscalable mountain, it had to be you. Guess what, the list of woes isn’t done yet. You bruise your ribs while fielding and the team management is unnerved by the prospect of another major injury that can leave their campaign in utter disarray and most importantly, leaderless.

Casting aside all the issues and like a phoenix rising from its own ashes, you arrived - you saw the rising rubble around you and you chose to fly. Forged through the flames, you were born on this very day 39 years ago and today, we celebrate your birthday with an anecdote from the recently concluded IPL where you braved an injury to play three games in which not only did you defy all odds, but your innings left the world in utter awe of your unwavering resilience.

It was the 17th of April, 2023 when the Royal Challengers Bangalore were up against the eventual champions of the tournament, Chennai Super Kings. Bowling first, the RCB bowling unit conceded a monumental 226 and except for Mohammed Siraj, no one could find a way to get some reprieve from the interminable hammering of the Yellow Army.

Even before RCB could get off the block, CSK struck twice in quick succession, claiming the scalps of Virat Kohli and Mahipal Lomror, leaving the men in Red & Gold teetering at 15/2. Desperately seeking for a life raft, RCB pinned their hopes on you and an incoming Glenn Maxwell in the face of what felt like an almost impossible task.

Fast forward the game by a handful of deliveries, despite contorting in agony a few moments ago, you got back on your feet and started firing on all cylinders alongside another rampaging Australian superstar. Irrespective of the intolerable pain, you made it your mission to smash the CSK bowling to every nook and cranny of the park and by the time the carnage ended, RCB had attained a fine 159 from 14 overs that still offered the fans hope, only to be undone by a late collapse at the end.

What felt like a so-close-yet-so-far affair for RCB against arch-rivals CSK would soon change to smiles as next up came the Punjab Kings, and coming in as an Impact Player, you delivered maximum impact. Under the hot sun in Mohali, you conjured a herculean knock of 84 from just 56 balls laced with five fours and five sixes, and fuelled by your gritty knock plus a memorable 137-run partnership with Kohli, it allowed the team to fight away to a significant total. 

Two chapters of fighting through pain to bring about glory, and you weren’t done yet. A man for special occasions, you got the 12th Man Army at the Chinnaswamy on its feet during the special Green match, turning the disappointment of a few early dismissals into many moments of joy to follow. 

Thriving in yet another partnership with Maxwell, you sent the Royals’ bowlers scurrying for shelter with an inspiring range of hitting, smashing a 39-ball 62 - all of this with a bruised mid-section shadowed by the drive to emerge victorious in a tryst with pain. Your knock, coupled with Maxi’s brilliance propelled RCB to 189 which proved to be a match-winning total, sending back every fan at the stadium with happy memories to cherish from the evening. 

Not every day do you see such special battles and in a season dictated by your brilliance with the bat and leader of RCB, it was a premium showdown by you, Faf du Plessis, a man they call the Song of Ice and Fire.