AB de Villiers addresses Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav in his epic ‘I could still play’ announcement. AB de Villiers maybe 39 years old and retired, but many believe he can still dominate T20 cricket if he returns for one more season of the IPL.
De Villiers parted ways with Royal Challengers Bangalore four years after retiring from international cricket. A few months following his statement, de Villiers revealed that he had eye surgery, effectively cutting out any hope of a comeback. Nonetheless, many supporters believe, well, never say never and have been clamoring for an ABD return – albeit temporarily.
Now, in an astonishing admission, de Villiers has admitted that he can still play at the most excellent level but would not put himself through the grind for one simple reason: He has not left anything in the tank. The fire in his gut has died out. De Villiers has raised the bar so high that if he returns, he will want to compete with the best, and the effort required for that is above ABD’s capabilities.
“Definitely. I was still able to play. But the motivation is no longer there. Robbie, from an early age. Being the best is always the only goal. If I return, I want to be the greatest and compete with Surya (Surykumar Yadav) and (Virat) Kohli. I felt like I wasted the last four years of my career not playing international cricket. Toward the conclusion of my career, I probably did not play enough cricket. That, I believe, was the essential point. This Impact Player, which I know many people are excited about, will help players extend their careers. “I could never do that,” De Villiers stated on Jio Cinema’s ‘Home of Heroes’ show.
Many believe de Villiers can follow in the footsteps of MS Dhoni and rest nine months of the year, train for the remaining three, and then play. But it only works that way with ABD. Everyone has distinct styles and approaches, and a comeback is unlikely, even with de Villiers’ superhuman abilities.
“I could never play for two or three months a year because I want to be the best in the world, and you can’t do that if you only play for three months a year.” There is no chance. Yes. You have nine months to practice.
But nothing compares to middle practice, being out there, and competitiveness. So, with the fire being the best in the world, the moment it went off, I was like, what? What exactly am I doing? So, what is the current situation? In that aspect, the last several years have also been challenging. I was like, I can still use my super knock occasionally, but I don’t want to. “I want to be the best,” he continued.
Unadkat struck Virat Kohli cheaply; Rohit and Jaiswal produced dazzling fifties in a practice match before WI Tests.
Virat Kohli’s away-delivery problems persisted as Jaydev Unadkat outplayed him in a practice match ahead of the West Indies Tests.
It’s nothing new for Virat Kohli to struggle against the fourth or fifth stump line. Bowlers worldwide have used that strategy to target the Indian great, with varying degrees of success. Kohli, like many other Indian top-order hitters, is not at his best against left-arm seamers at the start of their innings. A combination of both led to Kohli’s demise in India’s first practice match before the West Indies Tests.
The Indian cricketers arrived in the Caribbean islands nine days before the first Test, allowing them to put their talents to the Test in a match-like simulation in Barbados. The top-order hitters – Rohit Sharma, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Virat Kohli, Ajinkya Rahane – and frontline bowlers – Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammed Siraj, R Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja – were separated into two teams in the first of those match-simulations.
Unless they were dismissed, the batters batted in pairs. After solid performances from Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal in the first session, Kohli walked out to bat with Shubman Gill in the post-lunch session. However, Kohli’s time in the middle was brief, as Jaydev Unadkat removed him.
The former India skipper batted smoothly against Ravindra Jadeja and appeared in complete control even when attempting to pull the ball back in or angle it away from over the wicket against Unadkat. Kohli performed a nice flip shot for a couple of off Unadkat. However, Kohli was caught off guard as the veteran left-arm seamer shifted his angle and went around the wicket.
Unadkat threw one around the fourth stump that just held its line. Kohli, trying to decide whether to advance or retreat, pushed at the ball with no forceful foot action. The outside edge was in the hands of the second slip fielder, who made an easy grab.
Kohli, who has yet to be at his best in Test cricket for about three years, will be eager to create an impression in the two Tests against the West Indies, which begin on July 12. The sucker ball outside the off-stump will be his primary source of concern.
Regarding other Indian batters, Rohit Sharma and Yashasvi Jaiswal also hit unbeaten fifties before retiring. Captain Rohit and youthful Jaiswal batted brilliantly in the first session without being removed. Gill, who usually bats with Rohit, stepped into bat in the second session. It will be intriguing to see who bats at No. 3 without Cheteshwar Pujara. Jaiswal appears to have an advantage over Ruturaj Gaikwad, but the potential of Gill dropping to third place cannot be counted out.
Ashwin and Jadeja bowled long stints, as did Unadkat, who took the wickets of Rahane and Kohli. Rahane, named vice-captain for this series, batted twice and looked in much better touch the second time.
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