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Even as chants of “ABD, ABD, ABD!!!” filled the air at the Wankhede Stadium, the mind started to roll back the years to a time when an Indian player by the name Sachin Tendulkar had fans of opposition teams swooning all over him for his batting heroics.
It may not be right to draw comparisons between Tendulkar and AB de Villiers as they are two completely different players and also because of the fact that de Villiers has still not completed his career while Sachin retired 3 years back.
But going by what has transpired thus far in the career of the Proteas’ batsman, one can say that he may just have become Sachin Tendulkar’s successor for the ‘God of Cricket’ tag.
Here are 5 main reasons why we think that Abraham Benjamin de Villiers can be called the new ‘God of Cricket’:
His Extraordinary Batting
There are no two ways about the fact that ABD is currently the best batsman in the world across all formats. More than 16,000 international runs with 44 centuries in a 11-year long career is no mean feat by any standards.
His average is above 50 in both Tests as well as One-Day Internationals and he scores his ODI runs at a phenomenal strike rate of 100.28. As far as records are concerned, he has scored the fastest 50, 100 and 150 in the 50-over format.
He also holds the record for the most One-Day International hundreds by a South African batsman with 23 against his name. Let alone the stats, the manner in which he bats is also something which may appear unearthly at times.
One of his popular nicknames is Mr 360 and the reason behind this name is that he can use the entire 360° angle of the crease to play his shots which is next to superhuman. The greatest thing about his batting is that he has won several matches almost single-handedly for his team.
His Humility
He may be AB de Villiers, the best batsman in the world and the most versatile stroke-maker cricket has ever seen, but no part of his behaviour either on or off the field suggests that it has got to his head at any point of time.
It is this humility that sets him apart and makes him the icon that he has become. You will rarely see any brash celebrations from him on achieving a personal or team milestone. His hundreds are usually followed by a broad yet shy smile as he raises his bat in the air to acknowledge the crowd.
He always keeps a cool head out in the middle and allows his bat to do the talking. Also, while captaining his team on the field, he may be quite vocal and chirpy, however, he seldom loses his temper no matter what the situation.
His Popularity Among Cricket Fans
Fans, not only from his own country but from all over the world, are absolutely gaga over the South African run-machine. And why wouldn’t they be, after all he has the ability to do the impossible and turn matches on their head at will.
He is also the greatest entertainer in world cricket at the moment and has put up great batting shows almost all across the globe. There are some countries where AB de Villiers is even more popular than he is in his own nation and India tops the list in this regard.
This is mainly because of his exploits in the Indian Premier League for Royal Challengers Bangalore. The ‘ABD, ABD’ chant that welcomes him on most Indian grounds may already be the second most popular one after the historic ‘Sachiiin, Sachiiin’ chant that was reminiscent with the career of the original ‘God of Cricket’.
The Respect He Gets From Opposition Players
Everybody loves AB de Villiers and this is applicable even to the players that he competes against. New Zealand’s destructive wicket-keeper batsman Brendon McCullum once said about him, “AB is playing a different game than the rest of us fellows and he does it in all formats of the game”.
Words like these coming from a player in the opposite camp speaks volumes of the respect that De Villiers has garnered among his cricketing circles. Every time he achieves a milestone, compliments from all corners of the cricketing world are showered on the legendary South African through various different channels, particularly social media.
On the field, too, it is difficult to remember any instances of opponent players trying to rough him up. This level of respect is something that only few cricketers have been able to achieve over the years.
His Impact On World Cricket
It is not that AB de Villiers was doing what he does today from the very outset of his career. He did take his time to settle down but since he has realised his true potential, he has not looked back.
His first century in ODI cricket came more than 2 years after his debut in 2005, however, post that he has scored as many as 23. The impact that he has made on world cricket, though, has been in the way he has transformed the dynamics of batting in a matter of few years, especially in the limited over formats.
He has inspired many young batsmen to explore more avenues to get the boundaries when most needed. De Villiers has made the cricketing world believe that nothing is impossible through some of his record-breaking feats in ODIs.
His contribution to the game in his 10-year old career so far has already created a legacy for him which will be difficult to erase.
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