IPL 2019: Playing cricket 'the De Villiers way' is this man's greatest gift to mankind

The bowler might bowl the ball on off stump, and keep the off side field packed, but he can move across his stumps and whip the ball past mid-wicket with ridiculous ease. The bowler might bowl a delivery on leg stump, but he can give himself room, and audaciously whack him over cover for six.

There is no part of the ground where he cannot hit the ball, for he is the master.

AB de Villiers has been an absolute phenomenon; a man who literally has no weaknesses. He can produce a classical cover drive, but can also play the most unconventional of strokes that can make a bowler scratch his head in utter disbelief.

Another facet of De Villiers' batting that makes him a class act is his ability to switch gears and switch between moods seamlessly. Against Kings XI Punjab in Match 42 of IPL 2019 he took 25 balls to score his first 25 runs, to steady the ship, but then went on the rampage and took just 19 balls to score the next 57 runs.

In the process, he produced an amazing display of ethereal batsmanship, and took cricket fans to places only he can take. The one-handed six off a high full toss that went out of the ground was an act of skill that our generation was tremendously lucky to witness.

De Villiers is one of the most successful batsman in IPL history. And he has continued his dominance this season too; he is in the running for the Orange Cap, having plundered 414 runs already at an average of 59.

De Villiers is probably the only non-Indian cricketer who gets thunderously loud cheers in every Indian stadium. "ABD! ABD!" is a chant that can be heard reverberating across every Indian city when RCB are playing.

There's a reason for that - there is nothing that De Villiers cannot do. The willow in his hand works magic, the ball obeys his command, empty spaces in the field appear out of nowhere, and he can make his side win from any situation.

Watching De Villiers at his best is a pristine and and almost elevating sporting experience. He makes you gape at him in awe, he makes you applaud his splendid stroke play, he makes the bowler wince in utter disbelief, and he makes you wonder: what will this guy do next?

Over the last decade and a half, De Villiers has dominated world cricket like no one else can. He has dismantled the best of bowling attacks, has played some of the greatest innings that the sport has ever seen, and has given fans unbridled joy.

He has always played cricket ‘the De Villiers way'. What more could a fan ask for?

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