I was born a bit of daredevil: De Villiers on his batting approach

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India]: Legendary South African batter AB de Villiers opened up about the rationale of him playing 360-degree shots all over the park and how he brought the 20-over game approach to ODI cricket.

De Villiers is considered one of the greatest batters of modern era, not only for his consistent run-scoring, but also his 360-degree strokeplay which saw him make runs using the most weirdest, out-of-the-box shots in cricket.

While commentating during India-South Africa World Cup match on Sunday, De Villiers said in a video posted by ICC on his batting approach, “I grew up like that, just being a bit of daredevil, really testing the limits.

I have always seen positive in a situation. Trying those shots was just finding ways to get a boundary. The best players in the world just need to be a bit creative to unsettle the bowlers. That was my way to keep them on their toes and getting them to a point where they would be like what now? Then you can have a lot of fun after that”.

“I was there to witness a very conservative way of setting up partnerships to then realising that T20s are around now, we have got all the tools to dominate the bowling attacks now. And there is a lot of overs in the 50 overs game. We brought that to the 50-over game and it was just a feast to lay the foundation and then look for moments to dominate the bowling attack,” he added.

In 228 ODIs and 218 innings, De Villiers scored 9,577 runs at an average of 53.50 and a strike rate of over 101. He scored 25 centuries and 53 fifties in 50-over cricket.

In Tests as well, De Villiers showcased the perseverance and determination to bat for long periods. In 114 Tests, he scored 8,765 runs at an average of 50.66, with 22 centuries and 46 fifties.

De Villiers also played 78 T20Is, scoring 1,672 runs at an average of over 26, with 10 fifties.

Coming to the match, Virat Kohli’s record-equalling 49th ODI century helped India post 326/5 against Proteas and Ravindra Jadeja’s 5/33 helped bundle out SA for just 83, winning the game by 243 runs. This is India’s eighth successive win in the World Cup.