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Vishal Dikshit
Just minutes after another impressive hit, an undefeated 55v22 ball, to help the Royal Challengers Bangalore hit 64 runs of the last 28 balls for a seven-wicket win against the Rajasthan Royals, AB de Villiers said he gets “very, very nervous. and erratic” in such chases. It was a 178 hunt against the Royals, and De Villiers folded after 13 overs with a required 76 of 42 and saw Virat Kohli serve the next ball.
When down to 35 from 12, de Villiers lashed out at Jaydev Unadkat for three straight sixes and then sealed the match with a Jofra Archer six with two balls to spare. While from the outside it seemed that de Villiers was doing his work with a calm head once more, he later said that he was not.
“I am very, very nervous and erratic [in chases] and all kinds of fun things [in my head]”he said at the presentation.” I try to hide it (laughs). I stress a lot like any player does before playing. I’m proud of my performances, I want to perform for the team and have some impact on us winning games. I want to show the owners that I am here for a good reason. I want to put faith in me and pay them back. [For my] family at home, people watching me, fans … all those things play an important role and obviously for me.
“AB is always someone who is ready to look at the team’s situation and adapt his game accordingly. We have seen him do this over and over again. In my opinion, he is the most shocking match winner in the IPL.”
Virat Kohli on AB de Villiers
“I want to play the best I can at all times. [In the] In the last game I didn’t play as well, I didn’t play my role as well as I should have, and I was very happy that I did in this game. “
In the Royal Challengers’ last game, against the Kings XI Punjab, de Villiers was asked to hit out of position at No. 6 and scored just 2 as his team stumbled to an eight-wicket loss. Now back at No. 4, he scored his fourth fifty of the season, and probably the one he scored under the most pressure, as he was the first while chasing. De Villiers said that in such tight finishes, his goal is to “beat out” the bowlers.
ALSO READ: Kohli on De Villiers at no. 6: ‘Sometimes the decisions you make don’t go well’
“I try to impose myself and show that I am present, show them that I am going to stick to my game plans and if you do not take me out, I will be a threat”, de Villiers. He said. “It’s a game of cat and mouse, or a game of chess whatever you want to call it. I always respect bowlers. If they play well with me, they will have the upper hand and I will do everything I can in my ability to change course. Luckily. for me, that worked today. “
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Ajit Agarkar and Tom Moody discuss how unique AB de Villiers is when it comes to destroying attacks
De Villiers hit six sixes and finished with a hit rate of 250, but said he barely got one from mid-bat.
“Honestly, I was wrong [even] one of them [sixes] really from the middle of the bat, but close enough to the middle to cross these limits, “he said.” There was a very big limit on one side and when Unadkat was bowling [the 19th over], I was looking to the side of the legs … to be very honest, I was very worried because I knew I had to hit them right. Fortunately, I hit a pair and took him out of his game plan, and made him nervous towards the end. We have some big races before the last one ends. “
Kohli said De Villiers tailors his game according to the team situation and is “the winner of the most shocking match in the IPL.”
“AB always acts on the situation,” Kohli said at the presentation. “AB is always someone who is ready to observe the situation of the team and adapt his game accordingly. We have seen him do this over and over again. In my opinion, he is the most shocking match winner in the IPL. [to bat], the opposition knows that they have little chance and there is a good reason for it. To be able to chase 50+ in four overs and finish the way he did … it’s purely because of the presence of that man in the middle that we feel like we’re never out of the game. “
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