South African batsman Ab de Villiers bats at the RCB training session. (RCB Twitter)
Dubai - The batting genius made full use of the opportunity, showing he has lost none of his skills despite being away from the game for a long time due to the Covid-19 pandemic
Published: Tue 1 Sep 2020, 12:09 PM
Last updated: Tue 1 Sep 2020, 1:23 PM
In the sweltering heat, Ab de Villiers found his peace. His feet moved beautifully to the pitch of the ball and he felt the sweet spot of his willow. It was as if the 360 degree batsman had never been away.
In his first practice session since arriving in these shores for the Indian Premier League (IPL), the 36-year-old De Villiers was seen showing his full repertoire of shots.
Having completed the six-day quarantine period at the Royal Challengers Bangalore team hotel in Dubai, the former South African captain played every shot in the book at the nets, showing he had lost none of his skills during the Covid-19 enforced break.
De Villiers, the most versatile batsman the game has ever seen, was at ease in the nets against both fast bowlers and spinners.
In these gloomy times, there could not have been a better news for fans deprived of dazzling shot-making from one of the greatest batsmen of all time.
"It was very good, enjoyable to be out there, the wicket was a bit sticky so it was a great challenge, actually if I could have it my way, I would have wanted my first net session to go like this only after a long time," De Villiers said in a video which was shared by RCB on their official Twitter handle.
"I kept my basics in place, watched the ball carefully, I played some nice shots in the end and it was enjoyable."
The Royal Challengers Bangalore need their talisman to be on top of his game if they hope to win their maiden IPL title.
Having failed to cross the final hurdle thrice in the past, De Villiers and his captain Virat Kohli will be desperate to add the IPL title to their trophy cabinets.
The two modern batting icons have been the backbone of the RCB batting, posting five century and two double century partnerships in the cash-rich league.
Both of them hit a purple patch in the 2016 edition of the tournament, with Kohli making 973 runs (average 81.08, four hundreds) and De Villiers scoring 687 (average 52.84, one hundred). And yet those astonishing numbers from the two giants of the game failed deliver one result - the IPL title - as the team lost to the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the 2016 final.
Now as the richest cricket league is ready to set the ball rolling on September 19, the RCB will hope De Villiers and Kohli will inspire their team to go for glory with renewed vigour.
It was hardly surprising then that De Villiers went into his first practice session at full throttle.
"When you practice like that, you need intensity, so that's what I always try to do when I practice, and I generally look like this after a training session," De Villiers smiled, pointing to his face covered in sweat.
A few more hits in the nets will be enough to make the best of the bowlers feel the heat when the tournament starts in the UAE.
rituraj@khaleejtimes.com
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