#360view: AB brilliance shows individuals dominate T20 cricket

Ajit Vijaykumar 09:19 26/05/2016
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  • AB de Villiers

    Even die-hard Royal Challengers Bangalore fans would have struggled to envisage their fightback against Gujarat Lions in the first IPL qualifier. Five down for less than 30 chasing 159 with just one recognised batsman at the crease is a situation very few teams manage to escape from.

    But Bangalore did just that to enter their third IPL final and add another chapter to their superb turnaround in this edition after struggling to stay alive for the better part of the tournament.

    There really isn’t much AB de Villiers can’t do with a bat on the field. He is one of the few batsmen who can actually play all around the ground, irrespective of who the bowler is, or where the ball has been bowled.

    As Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli said, the debate as to who the best batsman in the world is should end with de Villiers’ 47-ball 79 in Bangalore. It was, as the captain said, one of the finest T20 knocks under pressure.

    What we also learned from the first qualifier is that T20 is a sum total of individual performances. Those who talk about cricket being a team game should look at the Bangalore-Gujarat match where three players from both sides influenced the final outcome.

    Gujarat posted a total of 158, thanks mainly to the power hitting of Dwayne Smith (73) and then saw seamer Dhawal Kulkarni (4-14) peg back Bangalore.

    The Royal Challengers had earlier managed to restrict Gujarat’s batting thanks to a four-wicket burst from Shane Watson before de Villiers took matters into his own hands.

    Also, while Bangalore spinner Yuzvendra Chahal was thrashed for 42 runs from his four overs, Gujarat’s Shadab Jakati went for 45 in three.

    Individual efforts have a much greater say in a T20 match where every players in the team doesn’t get an equal opportunity to make a contribution. We saw that during the World T20 final as well. England dominated for the majority of the match against the West Indies and were better in every department of the game. But those four hits in the final over by Carlos Brathwaite turned the final on its head.

    Bangalore have a handful of players who have changed the course of a T20 match on their own on numerous occasions. Opener Chris Gayle can take apart any bowling attack, Kohli is scoring centuries and fifties in T20s with ease in nearly every match while de Villiers’ ingenious strokeplay shows no signs of losing its edge.

    And the best part about the trio is that their batting styles are completely different. If Gayle relies completely on power, Kohli is the master of timing, while de Villiers is all about placement.

    As long as these three batsman are fit and playing together, Bangalore will always be in the game, no matter how daunting the task.

    Any contribution from other Bangalore players is just a bonus.

    Whichever team takes them on in the IPL final must put all their efforts in dismissing the Big Three out cheaply. Otherwise it will be game over very quickly.

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