AB De Villiers is considered as one of the best ever player to grace the sport of cricket and his record in IPL says nothing else. He is currently sixth in the list of highest run-scorers in the history of the Indian cash-rich league. In 169 matches, the right-hander has notched 4849 runs with three tons and 38 fifties. AB de Villiers has arrived at RCB’s training camp last week and the Bangalore-based franchise will surely be hoping to win the trophy this year with such a balanced squad.
Last year we’ve seen AB de Villiers batting position been changed in an attempt to avoid right arm spinners in middle orders. Last year, just to avoid Ravi Bishnoi and Murugan Ashwin, RCB decided AB de Villiers to get down at number 6th position. Shivam Dube and Washington Sundar batted over him.
Akash Chopra Explains That RCB Should Make Full Use Of AB De Villiers By Giving Him Fixed Batting Position
Aakash Chopra, the former Indian cricketer, reckons that Royal Challengers Bangalore shouldn’t tinker with AB de Villiers’ batting position in the 2021 Indian Premier League. The veteran urged Virat Kohli and Co. not to demote him down the order and rather, make optimum utilisation of his services.
“He (AB de Villiers) is a man from a different planet. We all feel he’s taking a risk, but he does the impossible very easily. I have a request for RCB – don’t go into matchups, like not sending him against leg spinners.” Chopra quoted on his YouTube channel.
“If he bats at the right position, he will belt everyone. Also, he might not have a lot of matches remaining in the IPL, so we can see him leaving an indelible impression this season,” Chopra added.
In IPL, de Villiers is a sheer genius much like in every other format, he perhaps has enough claims for the best ever overseas recruit. In the Indian T20 League from 2015, the retired South African averages 49.74 and scores at a strike rate of 164. No player averaging 40+ in these five years have a strike rate of 150 or more.
Stopping de Villiers seems like an inconceivable task for any T20 team that’s trying to win over his team. Underrated spinner, Shreyas Gopal has gotten rid of de Villiers four times off just 28 balls – a dismissal rate of seven. RCB will face Mumbai Indians in the inaugural match of the season on 9th April 2021.
