IPL 2017: AB de Villiers reveals his biggest strength

What’s the story?

South African batsman AB de Villiers believes that his ability to win games out of nowhere is his biggest strength and something that his contemporaries don’t possess. In a candid interview, the Royal Challengers Bangalore also spoke about the best players in the world and admitted that he isn’t the best.

When asked about his ability to win games out of nothing in an interview to Forbes India, AB de Villiers said: “That’s probably my biggest strength. I don’t think everyone has those skills. But I won’t say I am the best player in the world. That will be disrespectful to players who are in amazing form like a David Warner or Virat Kohli… Joe Root [of England] who’s not even at the IPL, Ben Stokes–who scored a fabulous hundred [for Rising Pune Supergiant] the day before [May 1]. There are so many good players… it will be disrespectful to say I am the best player in the world. But I do have certain skills that others don’t and others have certain skills that I don’t.”

Extra Cover: IPL 2017: AB de Villiers says he is scared of Indian cricket

In case you didn’t know...

RCB star endured a dismal showing in IPL 2017 but the tournament itself has seen the rise of some incredibly consistent performers. From the likes of Ben Stokes, who despite playing in his first IPL has been in stunning form with both bat and ball, to the remarkably consistent David Warner who has amassed nearly 1,500 runs in the last two editions of the tournament.

The heart of the matter

The 33-year-old South African batsman is certainly one of the finest cricketers of his generation. Not only is he among a select band of cricketers who average in excess of 50 in both ODIs and Tests, but he has also shown that he is one of the most destructive batsmen in the world in the shortest format of the game as well.

In ODIs, the Proteas skipper has amassed over 9,000 runs at an average of 54.28 striking in excess of 100. He also has the fastest fifty, century and 150 in the format and his records in the other formats speaks for themselves as he has 45 international tons and over 18,500 runs.

What’s next?

With RCB knocked out of IPL 2017, all eyes will turn to the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 which begins on June 1. South Africa will take on England in a three-match ODI series before they begin their Champions Trophy against Sri Lanka on June 3 and the squad are currently in a pre-tournament camp along with skipper AB de Villiers.

Author’s Take

There can be little doubt about the 33-year-old's credentials as a batsman as he proven himself across all formats for over a decade. The fact that he himself doesn’t think he is the best batsman in the world is a testament to his humility and his unique perspective of the game that helps him be one of the best in the business.