Virat Kohli says the sensational form of AB de Villiers belies the fact he hasn’t been playing any international cricket.
Both De Villiers and Proteas coach Mark Boucher have said the door is open to discussions around the big-hitting batsman returning to the international fold for the T20 World Cup, but that was always going to be dependent on how he performed in this season’s IPL.
So far, De Villiers has recorded 204 runs in five innings this year, with a whopping average of 68.
In Tuesday’s stunning knock for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, De Villiers finished on 75 not out, off just 42 balls, in an innings which included five sixes.
It was a batting masterclass that also took him to 5,000 runs in the IPL, becoming just the second overseas player to reach that milestone after David Warner.
‘AB doesn’t like me saying this, but he hasn’t played competitive cricket for five months and if you look at him bat, it doesn’t feel like he doesn’t play international cricket anymore,’ Kohli commented afterwards.
‘Hats off to him, keeps doing it again and again for us. He’s such an asset for us. I’ll say this again, he hasn’t played for five months, just watch that innings again.’
