It has been more than two years that AB de Villiers has retired from international cricket. Now it only appears for T20 leagues. Before IPL13, the last time he played was in January at the Big Bash in Australia.
In such a situation, and especially for one who is 36 years old, reflexes would be expected to slow down and the lack of pace of the match would show. De Villiers, however, defied logic and ignited this competition. That he has cast someone of Virat Kohli’s caliber in the shade underscores how special the South African is.
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On Saturday afternoon at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, de Villiers produced another special to lead the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to a seven-wicket victory over a stunned Rajasthan Royals (RR).
With 64 required of 30 balls, RCB had his back to the wall at the start of the 15th. The tough equation got tougher with 35 out of the last 12. But, restored to No. 4 in batting order, De Villiers broke the first three balls of the 19 for six and Gurkeerat Singh contributed a four to cut it down. . to 10 needed from 20. De Villiers then sealed the deal with a six from the third last ball and completed a 22-ball half-century.
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Known as Mr 360 for his shots across the wicket, de Villiers kept it simple on Saturday. He shattered Unadkat with his power striking instead of using the fold.
“When Unadkat was bowling (the 19th), he was looking to the side of his legs but to be honest he was nervous because he knew he had to hit well. Fortunately I got some, ”said de Villiers in the post-match presentation.
RR captain Steve Smith admitted it was a bitter pill. It was a game in which he hit superbly and his team did little wrong until he finished 39.
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At his familiar No. 4 position, Smith hit a slick 57 of 37 balls to help RR hit 177/6 after choosing to hit. The highlight of his entries was his battle with Yuzvendra Chahal. The leg-spinner is the leader of RCB’s attack and again set the tone for his bowling performance with a double hit in the eighth plus by taking out Robin Uthappa and Sanju Samson. However, he ran into his rival in Smith in 18 when the Royals captain gave a display of how to counter Chahal’s cunning.
Chahal is a spinner who doesn’t dazzle with a big twist or variations like Shane Warne, but he likes to play with the hitter’s mind. Many of its victims are lured to doom by a broad delivery or space-packed with a spear. But Chahal was on the edge of his wits when Smith manipulated his line of attack using the switch hit and going down the track for three fours in a 19-race run. The shot selection was the third of four in the over that Smith hit by shifting position midway and slamming him into the fence.
However, two South Africans combined to avoid a perfect finish from Smith. Chris Morris (4-0-23-4) threw an excellent last over to get Smith out and conceding just four runs and later De Villiers upset all his bowling plans.
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