Former South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis on Monday said that he is 'extremely motivated and keen' to represent his country in all the three formats of the game.
Faf gave up the Proteas captaincy earlier this year to give youngsters an opportunity to lead the side. Quinton de Kock was appointed as the Proteas limited-overs skipper.
"I still love playing for the Proteas. I still see myself adding huge value. I am extremely motivated and keen to play in all three formats. This time away from the game has made sure that the hunger is still there for me and that is a big thing for players, to really still love what you do," he said in an interview released by Cricket South Africa on Monday.
Du Plessis, who led the South African side in the 2019 World Cup, said he will miss the captaincy but is relishing a role as mentor for the new generation of leaders.
"I love captaincy, it is a part of who I am. I have captained since the age of 13. I still look at myself as a leader before a player, so I enjoy that more than anything else," du Plessis said.
"I will always miss it, but I do think that the time has come for me to move on to a position of growing other leaders, something that I feel is lacking in our system," he added.
Du Plessis won 18 of his 36 Tests as captain since taking over the role from AB de Villiers in 2016. The 35-year-old believes that the side has 5-6 players who can lead the team for the coming years.
"It is a great opportunity for five or six guys to come together and create a leadership group in the Proteas that will drive the culture for the next four or five years," the right-handed batsman said.
( With inputs from ANI )
