AB de Villiers opens up on 'the best Test innings he has ever seen'

Sehwag is congratulated by Ntini and Smith following his triple century

After the recently released autobiography ‘AB’ saw him looking at a wide range of issues, South Africa’s skipper AB de Villiers has explained his opinion on some of those by taking another trip down memory lane.

In an interview with Times of India, the 32-year old recalled his experiences in the Indian subcontinent and elaborated on sharing the dressing room with fellow stars Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle at Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

On describing Virender Sehwag‘s astonishing 319 at Chennai against the Proteas in 2008, de Villiers felt, “It was just magnificent. Paul Harris, our left-arm spinner, was bowling outside leg stump, into the rough, to try and slow the game down. But, Viru kept stepping away to leg and hitting him inside out through the covers for four. You don't do that in Test cricket, but Viru did.”

Upon piling on 540 on a batting beauty, the South Africans saw Sehwag flay their bowlers to all parts of the ground and notch up the fastest triple hundred of all time. Even though the match eventually ended in a draw, the swashbuckling opener’s mammoth knock managed to capture the attention of onlookers.

The right-hander had attributed India’s exceptional home record to the dry and dusty surfaces which cater to their extensive array of spinners in his autobiography. However, he downplayed the statement by claiming, “There's nothing wrong. Indian pitches tend to be dusty and suit the spinners. Every home team produces pitches to suit them. It's common sense.”

Following his debut against England in 2004, de Villiers had a rather quiet time until the 2007-08 season before starting to establish his presence in the international arena with a string of noteworthy performances.

He believed, “The second Test against India in Ahmedabad in 2008 was a turning point. It wasn't just the score of 217 not out. It was the fact that, strange as it seems, for almost the first time, I felt able to defend properly and play a long innings for the team.”

The hosts won the toss and watched in horror as Dale Steyn ripped their famed batting lineup apart with a high-octane spell. Taking on the likes of Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh, de Villiers sustained the advantage by cruising to a double ton to lead South Africa to a huge victory.

However, the series ended with honors even as India came storming back by clinching the final Test.

When the conversation veered towards RCB’s star-studded lineup, the Pretoria-born cricketer quipped, “Virat and Chris are great players who have become great friends, and it's been a great experience to play alongside them. Many people may be surprised that we get along so well and there is absolutely no rivalry between us. We all pull for the team.“