Whistling a tune and awaiting queries, A.B. de Villiers offered a remarkable contrast to the menacing six-hitting role that he donned in the Super Over against Delhi Daredevils here in a recent IPL match, says a report in The Hindu. One of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s key players, de Villiers spoke to the media here on Thursday about issues ranging from the Super Over to Virat Kohli’s captaincy skills.
Talking about the Super Over heroics, he said that the the other night he just got four balls and if he had not scored more than 10 runs his team would have definitely lost. “That kind of pressure is unfair. I hadn’t hit any balls before and my eye was not in. Normally I take about 10 balls to stay calm and then accelerate. In the Super Over you don’t have that time and to play big shots does get a bit difficult and luckily for me it came off (against Delhi Daredevils).”
On his opinion about Kohli as the captain, AB said that he has been brilliant. “Obviously he is very young and inexperienced, having said that, he has made some really positive moves. He will become a world class captain and he is already showing signs of that.”
Meanwhile according to a report in Deccan Chronicle, De Villiers said that there was pressure for them to win the trophy. “We understand we are a good team and we haven't won a trophy yet. It is an important season for us. I think we have had a great start and there is good team-spirit. I have got a good feeling this year, so far the close situations and the key moments have gone our way. We are playing much better than last year. If things go our way and obviously we need a bit of luck here and there but we could very well win the trophy this year.”
On missing Anil Kumble in the team, De Villiers said that it was always nice to have him as he was experienced and a helluva nice guy. “But unfortunately all good things come to an end. Others have stepped up. Our bowling unit has done well and Venky (Venkatesh Prasad) has done great work there. The management team is taking big responsibilities about the roles with the team. And I thing they are doing exceptionally well and the seniors are also doing well. There is good balance and we are not short of anything now.”