TIL Desk Sports/ Fit-again South African AB de Villiers was pleasantly surprised to discover he has lost none of his touch after the batsman blasted a swashbuckling 89 not out in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match on Monday. The 33-year-old, who has taken a break from Tests to manage his workload, missed the final of South Africa’s domestic 50-overs tournament with a back injury, which also kept him out of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s IPL opener against Delhi.
There was no sign of any rust, however, as the player celebrated for his ‘360-degree’ batting prowess clobbered nine sixes and three fours in a 46-ball blitz against the Kings XI Punjab at Indore’s Holkar Cricket Stadium. His brilliant innings helped a slow-starting Bangalore set a competitive 148 for four total but the hosts proved too strong in their reply, easing to an eight-wicket victory with 33 balls to spare.
“I did surprise myself and played a few good shots,” De Villiers, who was wearing a microphone, told the commentary team while he was fielding, admitting he had periods of uncertainty during the layoff. “It’s not like you become a bad player overnight, the rustiness is more self-doubt,” he added.
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