GQEBERHA: India’s plans to bring
Rohit Sharma
and
Virat Kohli
back into the T20 mix has drawn mixed reactions. The duo hasn’t featured in a T20I since the 2022 World Cup and with an assembly line of youngsters pushing for a call, questions have been raised on the relevance of the veteran batters, and whether they still fit in the team.
South Africa batting great
AB de Villiers
, however, backed the Indian superstars.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the washed out Betway SA20 opener between holders Sunrisers Eastern Cape and Joburg Super Kings, De Villiers said: “I’m very happy for Virat and Rohit. Their inclusion in the team (for the Afghanistan series) does not come as a surprise to me because you want your best team to try and win a World Cup. I understand the criticism because of the youngsters that may be missing out.”
Drawing a parallel with his own international career which ended in 2018, the 39-year-old said, “I was in a similar position at the backend of my career but it did not work out for me. I’m glad it is working out for Virat and Rohit.”
Having spent a decade playing alongside Kohli at the Royal Challengers Bangalore, De Villiers was appreciative of the former’s commitment towards the game.
“Virat grew up with cricket in his blood, that’s probably what keeps him going. Cricket has always been his passion. I think he has a fantastic balance in his life with his family,” added De Villiers.
‘Newlands pitch looked normal’
While the ICC rated the Newlands pitch in Cape Town unsatisfactory after the shortest ever Test match – lasting 642 balls — between India and South Africa earlier in the month, De Villiers had a different take.
“The Newlands pitch looked pretty normal to me. It is known for a lively first session on the opening day. If you can fight your way through, it gets a lot easier off the deck.”
De Villiers pointed towards poor planning and execution by both teams.
“At Newlands, you should always play positive cricket like
Aiden Markram
did while scoring a century. I think the game plans were wrong by both teams. Yes, it was a difficult, lively and fast pitch but I think the teams could have played better in the first innings.”
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Since De Villiers called time on his IPL career in 2021, there has been a growing call for him to return to RCB as a coach or mentor.
ABD has dropped a subtle hint on social media too a few months back.
But clearing the air, the South African said, “Nobody from RCB has contacted me. If I’m asked to be there for a day or two as mentioned by Virat (Kohli (during the World Cup) where he made a live comment, I’ll go spend some time with the team as a friend, not as a coach, mentor or in any such role. I would love to share my knowledge or experience.”
With all six teams in the SA 20 owned by IPL franchises, De Villiers hoped for his former team to make a foray too. “It is sad that RCB is not a part of SA20, but maybe they will get involved one day.”
English (US) ·