AB de Villiers may have not played competitive cricket since the first leg of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 in May but the former South Africa batsman is looking set to dominate bowling attacks when the remainder of the season gets underway in the UAE from September 19.
AB de Villiers, who arrived in the UAE earlier this month to join the RCB training camp, smashed 104 runs in just 46 balls in an intra-squad practice match on Tuesday. AB de Villiers hit 10 sixes and 7 boundaries during his whirlwind knock for Harshal Patel XI against Devdutt Padikkal’s XI as RCB played the intra-squad match even as their captain Virat Kohli is completing quarantine after arriving in the UAE from Manchester.
AB de Villiers started slow on a hot and humid day in the UAE, days ahead of their match against Kolkata Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi. De Villiers got to 19 off 19 before opening up and hitting those big ones that he is known for.
Was very scratchy when I started off: de Villiers
Speaking to RCB about the conditions on offer in the UAE, AB de Villiers said once the breeze started coming in, he was able to cut loose and make good use of the batting-friendly pitch.
“When I got off the bus, I thought we were crazy, playing cricket in the middle of the day here. Luckily the breeze came out and I told my partner, ‘listen, let’s get ourselves in and the wicket is going to get flat’ which it did,” he said.
“I am very happy with runs on the board. I was very scratchy when I started. I got 19 off 19. I was happy to get the runs, nothing more valuable than getting runs in the middle.”
AB de Villiers received good support from Kerala batting star Mohammed Azharudeen as the young wicketkeeper-batsman hit 66 from 43 balls.
KS Bharat stars in win for Devdutt’s XI
Harshal Patel’s XI posted a more than competitive total of 212 for 4 on the board in their quota of 20 overs but it was not enough as Devdutt Padikkal’s XI won the practice match by 7 wickets.
For Devdutt’s XI, the star performer with the bat was wicketkeeper Kona Srikar Bharat. He led the team’s chase with a stunning 46-ball 95 wherein he hit 4 sixes and 11 boundaries. Skipper Devdutt chipped in with 36 off 21 balls as his team gunned down the target, managing 216 for 3 in 20 overs.
RCB are currently at the 3rd spot in the 8-team points table with 5 wins from 7 matches. They will be wearing blue jerseys during their opening match of the remainder of the tournament as RCB are set to pay tribute to frontline healthcare workers amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
RCB have got in some fine replacement players in the likes of Sri Lanka spinner Wanidu Hasaranga, pacer Dushmantha Chameera and in-form Singapore batsman Tim David for Adam Zampa, Daniel Sams and Finn Allen.
With the addition of Kohli and Mohammed Siraj who have had plenty of game time in England, RCB will look to make it to the playoffs for the second successive year.
