AB de Villiers enjoying captaincy more than his batting

Proteas limited-overs captain AB de Villiers feels that he has developed a foresight as a captain which will help South Africa to become a more successful team in the limited overs format. South Africa is on the verge of recording a series win on New Zealand soil as they lead the 5 match series 2-1 after the completion of 3 matches. With the series almost pocketed, de Villiers conceded that it is his captaincy that is giving him more pleasure than his batting.

The veteran cricketer considered arguably the greatest batsman of the modern generation has the ability to change the complexion of a game within a blink of an eye. While he has been scoring runs consistently at the highest level but runs have become secondary for him as all he wants is to wrap up the series with a game to go.

“I just love to contribute and to see the joy in my team-mates’ faces, after I’ve done something good. I’m enjoying it now more than ever. I feel I have a good understanding of the game, a good gut feel of what’s coming and what’s going to happen. A guy like McCullum does that really well, he sees what’s going to happen in 10 overs’ time. That’s important for a captain,” de Villiers was quoted as saying by nzherald.co.nz.

Unlike McCullum who is always confident when going out to bat, de Villiers said he is nervous everytime he goes out to bat for his nation. After opting out from the Test series in March, de Villiers will surely want to finish the limited overs series on a high. “There’s always doubts when you walk out, no matter what your record is. That’s pretty normal, pretty human. Obviously over the years I’ve learned how to counter that, how to get over that obstacle. It comes through learning from your mistakes and a deep, deep hunger to succeed,” De Villiers said.

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New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson is a big admirer of de Villiers as he feels he plays the game for all the right reasons. Both the captains share a good rapport with each other. “He always plays for the right reasons, to win games of cricket for his country, as opposed to playing for his own stats.When you play people like that, and there’s not many in the world who have the skill and the attitude, then they’re a big threat,” Williamson said.