Faf du Plessis says he and AB de Villiers are hungry to play in the Test series against India.

The Proteas captain is back after a couple of injury setbacks.

Du Plessis picked up a back injury in the third ODI against Bangladesh, which saw him retire hurt.

A projected six-week absence was extended to 11 weeks after the 33-year-old underwent a shoulder op followed by a viral infection, which saw him miss the historic first four-day day-night Test against Zimbabwe at St George’s Park.

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Now Du Plessis is fully fit heading into the first Test against India, which starts on Friday.

‘I sent the Ferrari to the panel beaters, just to get fixed,’ he joked with the media on Thursday. ‘It was frustrating because everything happened slower than I thought it would.

‘The good thing is that I never missed a lot of cricket for South Africa. I missed the Ram Slam, but playing for the Proteas is the most important thing.

‘I’m extremely hungry to play again. I would have liked to play against Zimbabwe to get some batting in, but hopefully I can continue from last season.’

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Du Plessis has regained the captaincy from AB de Villiers, who led the team against Zimbabwe in his absence.

De Villiers will make his return to the five-day game after almost two years away, and Du Plessis confirmed that his friend is ready to take on the top-ranked side.

‘What’s very important with AB is that he’s fresh and hungry to score big runs, and that’s certainly the case with him right now.

‘He has had a good break and he hasn’t played a lot of cricket. He feels mentally strong and he wants to put in big performances, so I think that’s half the battle [won] already.

‘When you’ve got a high-class player like him, then if you can get the mental side right he’s going to be a good asset for us in this series.’

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