Bengaluru: A little after the Royal Challengers Bangalore had handed Sunrisers Hyderabad a four-wicket defeat at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday night, from half way across the world, South African Danielle de Villiers tweeted, “Oh, my woooooord!!! That was insane! What a talented husband I have, so so extremely proud.” Insane, it was indeed.
On a night the clouds came visiting, but never opened up, AB de Villiers cut loose with his instincts and brought out his best against an equal, countryman Dale Steyn.
The game changing over, the penultimate for the match, wasn’t a bad one by Steyn, but unfortunately for the speedster, he bowled it to a man who looked like he was possessed.
ABD made the tough job look like child’s play. In a reminder of the May 6 night of 2012, when ABD slammed 23 in the 18th over off Steyn at the same venue, he came back to haunt the 30-year-old spearhead of the Sunrisers’ bowling attack.
De Villiers picked out the deep square leg area to open his assault as he launched into a good length delivery. Next was the side screen, then mid-off and as he finished the over with a big one over fine leg. Even Steyn could not help but applaud the genius. Striking he was and how!
Speaking about the match winning 41-ball 89, home skipper Virat Kohli said, “He (AB) is the best player in the world by far. One of the best innings in T20 I have seen, the way he was striking the ball under pressure.”
Michell Starc, who spent 26 minutes in the middle with de Villiers and a witness to the massacre said, “I was lucky to have a front row seat out there and see him hit the ball so well.”
Mesmerising may sound a shade ordinary to describe the 30-year-old’s knock, but he left his opponents too awestruck.
Summing up a night to remember, Sunrisers mentor, V.V.S. Laxman said, “One special innings from one special player changed everything. He single-handedly won the game for Bangalore.”
