AB de Villiers says he took tips from Heinrich Klaasen in the off-season to improve his batting. 

Klaasen made his debut for South Africa in white-ball cricket against India. He played a crucial role in their only ODI victory in the pink-ODI at the Wanderers as well as their only victory in the T20s in the second match at Centurion. His performances in the series saw him pick up a contract with the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL.

Domestically, Klaasen has been consistent for the Titans. His List-A and T20 averages sit at 35.47 and 33.87 respectively, with a century and nine half-centuries in the 50-over format and six half-centuries in the T20 format. In 63 first-class games, Klaasen has an average of 45.28 which includes 10 tons and 14 half-centuries.

After De Villiers’ match-winning unbeaten 90 off  39 balls against the Delhi Daredevils on Saturday, he credited Klaasen, his Titans teammate, for helping him prior to the tournament.

‘I worked with Klaasen in the off-season and took some tips from him,’ he told Sportsarlive.com.

‘I watched him score hundreds and saw how still he was at the crease. I’ve tried to use that tip with my batting.

‘Even after playing international cricket for 14 years, you sometimes forget the basics. My game is based on five-10 very basic principles of the game.

‘Sometimes, when you’re not scoring, you have to try and remember the basics again.’

Photo: Lee Warren/Gallo Images