Nostalgia Cam: When AB de Villiers defied gravity

What is the definition of a complete cricketer? The answers may vary. While someone would associate it with the ability to excel at all three disciplines, others might scan it through ‘how a player fares in the three formats of the game.’

There’s another definition which might appear subjective but has the merit to qualify as a logical one. A complete cricketer is the one who impacts the game with moments of brilliance. And those moments of brilliance are not once in a blue moon affair but a frequent occurrence.

This is where AB de Villiers comes in. He is perhaps the only cricketer in this generation who would fit in all these three answers. He could bat for hours in Tests, pace his innings in ODIs and turn up in a T20 blindfolded, throwing kitchen sink at everything. He can bat, field, keep and even bowl (if required).

And he creates those moments of brilliance more often than anybody else in the game. He will bow down to one of the quickest and fiercest bowlers in the game for a fraction of a second, only to leave fans jaw-dropped by lapping the latter over the fine leg.

Keeping De Villiers out of the game is out of the question. There’s entertainment and then there is AB de Villiers in full flow. Not just with the bat in his hand, he can be mesmerizing manning the fence. The Cameras love the superman because he gives them the moments ordinary men can’t.

ABD’s one of these brilliant moments where he appeared to be changing his trajectory while being in the air came against Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2018. With a massive total of 218 on the board, Royal Challengers Bangalore were confident going into defending against a formidable Sunrisers batting line-up. SRH got off to a good start. Alex Hales looked in good form and RCB needed something special to dismiss him. The Englishman batting on 37, danced down the track, trying to clear the boundary over deep midwicket. For what seemed like an eternity, the ball streaked flat through the air destined for a maximum. Out came a hand, clutching the ball perfectly and stunned the entire cricket watching world.

The man had defied gravity, pausing in the air and plucking the ball from after it had almost sailed over. AB ‘Superman’ de Villiers had arrived!