Time and again, every decade, every era, every generation presents to us an indomitable hero, a true champion, a fighter,a winner who everyone around him and millions of them who watch them master their craft inspire masses to be one like them. We had Sunil Gavaskar, Aravinda de Silva, Vivian Richards, Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Chris Gayle, Ricky Ponting cricketers who revolutionized the art of batting and stroke-making. Abraham Benjamin de Villiers or more popular with the name AB de Villiers or christened by his fans as ABD is a phenomenal batsman who with his incredible talent and sensational batting has captured the imagination of an true cricketing champion with his amazing pyrotechnics and breathtaking stroke-play which makes him stand head above shoulders as the best batsman to have graced the game.
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| AB De Villiers |
AB de Villiers made his debut for South Africa in 2004 at the tender age of 20. He took up the gloves from Mark Boucher to help the South African cause. Although it was not until 2005-06 that he was taken seriously into consideration. He scored enough runs vs Ind and SL to be in contention for the team. His innings of 217 vs India in sub continent conditions marked him as the only S.A batsman to have scored a double hundred in India showed his remarkable temperament to play the long format of the game equally well. His timing of the ball which is so sweet makes one sit up and watch him close. His power hitting is something that carves expectations of him as being a gargantuan figure. Only few people in this world caress the ball as gently and at will so much so that the opposition is left awestruck in admiration at his cricketing ability.
Although he suffered a blip in form in 2005 and 2006, he returned back as a champion cricketer post 2008.He was an exceptional fielder and had the knack of picking up the things at a breathtaking pace. He was and still is an invaluable asset to South African cricket and the cricketing community in whole. What makes de Villiers tick is the fact that he has this uncanny ability to watch the ball until the Nth moment and then change his stance to play outrageous shots with tremendous power and flair. His high back lift sets the tone for the bowlers to dance on his swansong. He is a live-wire when batting who keeps the scorecard ticking consistently and a cannon-esque figure when he decides to maraud the attack with his flawless hitting of the ball. He leaves the bowlers in shreds when he makes up his mind.
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| En route to the fastest 50 and fastest 100 vs West Indies |
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| Usual business in playing exceptional shots ! |
No total is big or no figure is unachievable for ABD, be it hitting the fastest half century (in 16 balls) and fastest century ever (in 31 balls) in ODI's or hitting the maximum sixes in a World Cup tournament (37) anything is achievable for this prodigiously talented individual. He hits the ball sometimes lying down on the ground or while dancing down the track. He is an absolute joy to watch when it comes to batting and an astonishing fielder who takes incredible catches from never thought before positions and makes run outs the more watchable. He is a cricketer who is a fan's delight, adored by millions of South Africans and many more people across the globe for his fireworks display when he is on song. He is also known as Mr. 360 degrees for his ability to hit the ball in every nook and corner of the ground.
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| Mr.360 in the IPL |
He led his team in 2015 World Cup to their best ever performance in the tournament finishing as semi finalists in an epic semi final v/s New Zealand that led to one of the most memorable matches ever played in the World Cup. A gut wrenching, heartbreaking epic semi final which left a lasting impression on the tournament.
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| Heartbroken.. post 2015 World Cup Semis loss |
Be it his match winning innings for RCB in the IPL or his heroics in batting for South Africa, he has always been a stupendous success in every aspect of the game. AB de Villiers before he made his debut was a tennis player, a rugby player, still holds 6 national swimming records at school level, is an avid golfer, a guitarist, an U-19 national level badminton player, He is a recipient of the prestigious national medal from the Late Nelson Mandela for a science project,played hockey and made into U-16 side of school and a singer who has an album to his name which was released this March. He is a man with exceptional talent and unparalleled verve when it comes to committing himself to the cause.
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| Special No.17 |
Players like AB de Villiers are hard to come by in generations, and there will be fewer as complete a player as he is. He is charismatic and casts a spell upon the opposition when he begins to plunder for runs. In the present era of cricket, he is the only superstar of the sport and he does carry it off exceptionally well. Players like him need to be cherished and celebrated since we are the fortunate ones who has seen the emergence of a star who is now a larger than life figure for millions who also surely knows how to be grounded despite his huge hiatus. Let us celebrate the living legend of our times.
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| Cricketing Legend |
Cheers to AB De Villiers !
Love,
Ram
10-09-2015
