But what appealed to me the most was his relationship dynamics with his parents and his wife- Imari and how much impact they have in his personality. He speaks openly about the 2015 World Cup, his relationship with Cricket South Africa, and South Africa’s disappointing World Cup performances.

An interesting and worthwhile read, Faf telling his story from childhood to 2021 with all the details in a very personal fashion. He reflects on how influential leaders such as Gary Kirsten, Stephen Fleming, Doc Moosajee, Graeme Smith, AB de Villiers, Owen Eastwood, Russell Domingo, Ottis Gibson and MS Dhoni helped mould him as a man who leads with grit, purpose and a love of people. Throughout the book, Du Plessis insists that South African teams are at their strongest when leaders pay attention to soft skills in conjunction with hard skills.

Inspired by Graeme Smith’s captaincy, Du Plessis asked players who knew the debutant closely to speak about the player. It was Mark coaching in the way that he knew best under extraordinary pressure and me finding it hard to adapt to a leadership approach that contrasted with mine in so many ways. The focus on soft skills drove Du Plessis to interact with players new to the team environment through regular coffee and meals. It’s quite possible that I was still part of Mark’s plans for the future, but he had an approach to leadership that didn’t include soft skills and relational interactions.

He is considered to be one of the best fielders in the game and among the best all-format batsmen of his era. This brutally honest, fascinating, introspective work provides a unique insight into the mind and heart of one of South Africa's most interesting and charismatic cricketers. The emphasis, Du Plessis wrote, was on ensuring that players understood that their value to the team environment was beyond their performances on the cricket field. If I wanted something from him besides cricket, it had to come from me, and I wasn’t comfortable with that being our dynamic. I have now realised that he was on the receiving end of unfair criticism towards the latter parts of his international career.Although Du Plessis was not part of the team present at the camp, the ideas revolving around team culture would build the foundation for his career as a player and captain. And I was one of a lot of people who felt betrayed and very dissapointed by his sudden retirement from international cricket.

It showed how team leadership, management, and environment are vital for the players, and provides a detailed perspective about it through his experiences. Du Plessis’ longstanding commitment to representing South Africa is evident throughout his autobiography.

It gives good insight to the behind the scenes and politics that we don't see on screen and dives into what it's like to not only play for the Proteas but what it's like to lead the Proteas during a rather difficult time in South African cricket and sports in general. Du Plessis was also grateful for his mother’s tenderness and sensitivity that balanced his father’s strict and uncompromising approach to raising him. The Du Plessis-Boucher partnership, in addition to Graeme Smith being appointed as Director of Cricket and Jacques Kallis as a batting consultant, was supposed to herald a new day in South African cricket. South African player resource drain is quite evident, and if not for Faf's love for representing South Africa, he could have been another KP.

Faf Through Fire by Faf Du Plessis is this account from his childhood days to playing the domestic and then for the Proteas, and his long journey from debuting in ODIs to Tests, playing in IPL, World Cup, and experience with Dhoni, CSK, and RCB! Watching the India v/s South Africa New Year Test at the Newlands is among his favorite cricket memories. The disappointment he experienced at seeing a number of rituals that were instated during his captaincy no longer being followed is evident in his writing. Du Plessis adds, “I couldn’t expect Mark to prioritise soft skills and relationships in the way I did. Domingo’s empathetic approach to coaching with the phrase “everybody needs love” stuck with Du Plessis and he uses it often throughout the book.

He also speaks highly of the contribution of senior players such as AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, Dale Steyn, and Morne Morkel, who were all given specific roles in an effort to maintain a nurturing team environment. Instead, it left Du Plessis feeling insecure about his position in the team by the end of Boucher’s first series as coach.