AB de Villiers does it again

The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League has shown that you can’t keep Rahul Tewatia out of the contest. But for years in this tournament, teams have learnt that they are always in danger when a certain AB de Villiers is in the middle.

At the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Rajasthan Royals’ Tewatia produced what looked like a game-changing moment but eventually, it was de Villiers, for the umpteenth time, who delivered a masterclass on winning matches.

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), chasing 178, started off sluggishly to stare at an equation of 101 from the last 10. In the first ball of the 14th over, a visibly fired-up Virat Kohli (43) whipped a full-length delivery off Kartik Tyagi (1/32) flat to deep mid-wicket. Tewatia pouched the speeding ball but lost balance. He lobbed the ball up, stepped outside the boundary, and came back to complete the catch.

De Villiers had just arrived at the crease with RCB needing over 12 runs an over to pull off a double against the Royals this season. Batsmen before him had found it hard to middle the ball. The disciplined trio of Shreyas Gopal (1/32), Kartik Tyagi (1/32) and Rahul Tewatia (1/30) had dried up the runs.

Going by numbers, the advantage was with Rajasthan. But no target is steep and no challenge is daunting enough when de Villiers is in his zone. The right-hander essayed a whirlwind 55 (22b, 1x4, 6x6) to seal a seven-wicket win for the Challengers with two balls to spare.

Gurkeerat Singh’s (19 not out) struggle to rotate the strike mounted pressure on the South African great. With 35 needed off the last two, captain Steve Smith bafflingly gave the ball to Jaydev Undakat instead of his best bowler Jofra Archer. De Villiers pounced on the Indian left-arm seamer, hammering three monstrous sixes in the 25-run over.

Like a blockbuster with a smashing climax, de Villiers finished the game with a six. The way the South African found the gaps, punished the loose balls, picked the bowlers’ variations, and unleashed a range of shots even under pressure was testimony to his genius.

Earlier, returning to open the batting was a big confidence booster for Robin Uthappa (41). The stylish Karnataka batsman, back at his preferred slot after two years, was at his vintage best in his 50-run stand with Ben Stokes.

Stokes’ soft dismissal broke the run-flow. The England all-rounder gloved one to the wicketkeeper while pulling a Chris Morris’ slow bouncer. Yuzvendra Chahal (2/34) was welcomed with a monstrous six by Sanju Samson but the RCB leggie had the last laugh by dismissing Uthappa and Samson off consecutive deliveries.

Smith and Jos Buttler’s 58-run stand was devoid of fireworks but once the latter was dismissed, the Rajasthan captain, who was cautious in the beginning, switched gears to make 57. In the end, it wasn’t enough for the Royals.