AB de Villiers: An incredible talent

AB de Villiers: An incredible talent: Abraham Benjamin de Villiers is a rare batsman by today’s standards. The South African, who played his 100^th Test against India in Bengaluru starting on November 14, is known to use his willow both for attack and defence with same prowess.

Two knocks of the 31-year-old from Pretoria speak abundantly about his batting skills.

Whatever you order, AB is there for you

January 2015. AB de Villiers scored a century off just 31 balls against the West Indies at Johannesburg, snatching away the crown of scoring the fastest ODI ton from New Zealand’s Corey Anderson.

November 2012. AB de Villiers came out to bat at 45-3 against Australia in a Test at the Adelaide Oval with the hosts setting a score of 430. He scored 33 off 220 balls to help his team draw the match and spoil the Australians’ party.

Plays all formats with equal ease

The man is just incredibly talented. Whether it is Test, ODI or T20, including the Indian Premier League where the club prevails over the country, AB de Villiers is always at ease and never disappoints his fans.

His ability to score runs at 360-degree angles make even the most feared bowler, including his compatriot Dale Steyn who bowls against him in the IPL, take an anxious breath before every delivery.

The man just went on improving

AB de Villiers, who scored 85 in the first innings of his 100^th Test, made his debut against England at Port Elizabeth at the age of 20. He made his way into the national team after his consistent show in the domestic circuit for the Titans.

The same had also seen Steyn starting his international career and the duo went on to become two pillars of strength for the Proteas in days to come.

AB de Villiers scored his maiden Test century in the last match and in 2005, made his ODI debut also as an opener.

Though there were some promising innings, but the right-hander saw a dry phase in 2005 and 2006 as his averages were never extraordinary.

It was in the World Cup of 2007 that de Villiers’s rise as a premier batsman began. He blasted 146 against the Windies and played some other match-winning innings and started making long steps towards the peak.

It was also from 2008 that his Test average made a huge leap. While his average in Tests between 2004 and 2007 was just 36.36, the figure jumped to 61.67 from 2008 as AB de Villiers scored against every opponent, except Bangladesh and Zimbabwe, the weakest of all.

His high average in Asia since 2008 also made him the best overseas batsman in the slower tracks in the last three decades. He hit a double century (217) against India in Ahmedabad in 2008, becoming the first South African to do so against the sub-continental powerhouse.

AB de Villiers has opened the innings a number of times and even batted at No. 8 and is the owner of most number of centuries for South Africa in ODIs.

AB de Villiers bettered his form from 2010 onwards and his average did not go below 47 in either Test or ODI.

The man, who is equally skilled in other sports like tennis, rugby and hockey, is also an asset for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, the IPL team he has been playing since 2011. This year, his 59-ball 133 against the Mumbai Indians reiterated his class in T20s as well. By the way, the man’s strike rate in T20s in 125.88.

AB de Villiers also took over as the captain of South Africa in 2011 but his batting form was never affected by the burden of captaincy. The next year, AB de Villiers also had to carry out the wicket-keeper’s responsibility after the experienced Mark Boucher received a terrible blow in his eyes and continued with it till the arrival of de Kock in 2014.

2015 an unforgettable year for AB

AB de Villiers, who is also known for his down-to-earth and humble nature, had a splendid 2015 with a number of dashing centuries and took his team quite near to its dream of winning the first World Cup crown before a gritty New Zealander called Grant Elliot destroyed it, leaving the passionate cricketer in tears.

The batsman, ranked first in ODIs and third in Tests, has unique records of not getting out a duck in 78 Tests and playing 98 matches on the trot. His consistency over the last seven years makes him one of the greatest batsman the game has ever produced.

AB de Villiers in figures:

Tests: 100*; Runs: 7770; Average: 52.14; 100s: 21; 50s: 38

ODIs: 195; Runs: 8403; Average: 54.21; 100s: 23; 50s: 47

T20s: 63; Runs: 1167; Average: 22.88; 100s: 0; 50s: 6