An AB de Villiers masterclass on a Saturday evening

"Game. Set. Match...Abraham Benjamin de Villiers" - How often have we heard commentators say this? Not just us, but the commentators also find themselves clinging to the edge of their seats while this man is at work, hammering sixes for fun. There are merely not enough words in the glossary to depict AB de Villiers' belligerent batting display. One thing that has always stood out about his batting is his ability to have that extra fraction of a second as compared to his comrades. Be it run-chases or setting the targets, he never shies away from a challenge. 

At 102-2, AB de Villiers took strike opposite Virat Kohli. RCB received a jolt when the skipper was dismissed courtesy a brilliant catch from Rahul Tewatia at the boundary. The Gurkeerat-AB liaison kept the scoreboard ticking till the 18th over. With RCB needing 35 off the last two overs, Jaydev Unadkat was quickly brought back into the attack, in hopes of enticing the Protea batsman with a barrage of slower deliveries. 

AB de Villiers, rooted deep at the crease, took the onus upon his capable shoulders. What followed in the next four minutes was inexplicable. He clonked three sixes off Unadkat's first three deliveries, reducing the equation from 35 off 12 deliveries to just 17 off the last nine. As we approached the final over, the equation read 10 off six. The odds were certainly in favour of RCB. Superman capped off the evening by clobbering a six over the midwicket boundary and sending us into a frenzy. We can envision the sight if the game had happened at our wonderful adobe, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium!

The skipper lavished praise on AB de Villiers, calling him the most impactful player in the IPL.

"AB has always been someone who's been ready to look at the situation and adapt his game accordingly. In my eyes he's the most impactful player in the IPL," Virat Kohli was quoted as saying at the post-match presentation. 

All of us are Captain Kohli after AB’s incredible innings yesterday. ?@ABdeVilliers17 @imVkohli#PlayBold #IPL2020 #WeAreChallengers #Dream11IPL pic.twitter.com/rQn7DDrgXn

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) October 18, 2020