AB de Villiers – Quintessentially sublime

He shuffles, performs his trademark jig all over the crease, goes a foot outside leg stump, gets Dinda to bowl the ball wide outside off, in a flash skips couple of feet to the wide-guideline on off, and then, this is the best part – he slog sweeps it over deep square leg. Simon Taufel, our favourite umpire on the mike points out, like only he can, that it is the largest part of the ground, a 76-metre sweep, not of the broom variety, but more of the hurricane variety. Dinda comes steaming in, obviously humiliated by the sweep, delivering a swinging, fuller delivery outside off-stump. AB thumps it straight over the bowler’s head – oh yes, he can play the ‘traditional slog’ too if such a term exists, the batsmen’s favourite made famous by Sachin in Sharjah, before the days of reverse sweeps and switch hits.

AB gives Moises a big grin, his partner probably too shell shocked to say anything, in spite of going berserk himself earlier. In comes the short ball – a slower one at that and AB, who has a lot of time even for in-swinging pacy yorkers, thumps this over long off for a six. Dinda still doesn’t throw in the towel. He delivers a reasonably good ball, fast and full outside off. AB reverse sweeps it past short third-man. Cricket is almost beginning to look for a new master and this man with a dancer’s feet, a sharp-shooter’s eyes, a carpenter’s wrists and a weightlifter’s thighs could be it. It is not official yet. Dinda bowls a length delivery, slower on off stump. AB gets down and scoops this over fine leg. Now, it is official. He is the new master.

Dinda bows symbolically, with a smile that says, “You know, it could have been anyone instead of me.” The commentators understand that look and translate it for all of us. From 24(17), AB launches to 50(23) balls, one of the best IPL cameos you will ever get to see.

He has two American presidents in his name but Abraham Benjamin de Villiers will always be fondly known as AB, the ABC of improvisation. Spinners don’t really challenge his timing, so he challenges himself by playing those shots against pacers which others can only afford to play against spinners – sweeps, paddles, reverse sweeps – probably atrocious paddle-scoops to block-hole deliveries should be named after him.

We remember what he did to Nehra last year, once again of Pune Warriors, achieving an impossible-looking target in the last over. Yet this is the man who scores sublime centuries on the most demoniac of pitches dished out in South Africa. The captain of South Africa in shorter formats left his teenage years behind when he was picked for the national side. Such was the enormity of talent this prodigy possessed that no one dared question the selection. No one ever needed to. He was born ready, like a demi-god, who could pick anything of his choice and excel. AB is tennis’s loss, as he spends his spare time fine-tuning his guitar and singing skills, which are already impressive. They say in South Africa, he could have been an excellent golf or rugby player too. We are happy he picked cricket, for once Sachin and Kallis retire, cricket will need a new superstar, a new personality who can ignite the ‘best of all’ debate that us cricket lovers enjoy so much.

AB rocks, whether it is with a golf club, a cricket bat or a tennis racquet. He pulls off screamers when donning the keeper’s gloves. And when there is nothing else to do, he dives all across the park, saving more runs than most batsmen in the match score off the bat, pulling off blinders in the outfield with ridiculous ease, looking around to the applauding audience and teammates, wondering what the fuss is all about.

AB, the natural athlete, was born to play, whether it is sports or music. A school mate of Faf du Plessis and Jacques Rudolph, two other Saffer internationals, AB’s precocious talent has just one nemesis – his dodgy back, which stops him from committing fully to the role of wicket-keeper, a role he can afford to let go, at least in Tests. That he risks that back for the sake of the ODI team, tells a story of its own. The first keeper to score a century and claim 10 dismissals in a match, AB is level with RC Russell, claiming 11 dismissals in a Test against Pakistan early this year. Averaging a touch over 50, AB is still some distance away from acquiring the peaks he is destined to scale in Test cricket. He also finds the right environment in the South African dressing room, which at this stage is one of the best places to be. AB’s biggest regret would obviously be his run-out in the 2011 World Cup quarter-finals against New Zealand, triggering the side’s dramatic collapse and eventual knock out. He would look to exorcise those demons, come 2015, when the World Cup will be held Down Under, a place the present South African team can call their own after two series wins.

AB de Villiers would probably still be leading the side then, having taken over from Smith. He beautifully remarks, “Gary and I like to keep the guys on their toes”, pointing to the flexibility that has been cultivated in the batting ranks. He is modest and eager to learn too. “I have been through some ups and downs in my career and I am ready to take on anything”, he had said while taking up captaincy of the side for shorter formats of the game. The sporting genius from Pretoria with a sporty smile is in a wonderful space in his personal life too. Referred to as the Prince of Pretoria by former teammate Paul Harris, AB married his long-time girlfriend recently. His admirers were obviously thrilled when she remarked about his rare combination – love and connection with the family combined with a zestful personality laced with a wonderful sense of humour. His trademark whistle on the field definitely keeps most of his fielders connected to the game and AB, as his partner points out, is rarely seen in a bad temper.

Batting experts have pointed out how AB is totally equipped to succeed in all conditions, with his nimble feet, keen sight, steady head and a stance that is extremely similar to that of Sachin. AB, who set sceptics off on smirks, when he revealed a few years back of his desire to be the best batsman in the world, has forced them to put their foot in their mouths, proving his mettle around the world.

An interesting feature of AB’s performances is that his record overseas is better than his home record – the hallmark of an adaptable batsman. The 29-year-old batsman is one of those rare players who average above 50 in both Tests and ODIs, having scored more than 5000 runs in both formats with 16 and 14 half-centuries respectively. Throw in 142 catches at Test level and 116 at the ODI level and you already have a career that is impressive. But he is far from being done.

It comes as no surprise that the name of his first full-length album translates to ‘Make Your Dreams Come True’. For his young and ambitious Indian fans, he represents the idol that knows a thing or two about work-life balance. Always away from controversy, AB has emphasised that he prefers to make music during the off-season, instead of playing county cricket. With a $1.1 million contract from RCB at the moment, which is likely to get a further spike come the next auction, he can afford to take time off cricket once in a while. Known for being one of the fastest learners in the game, AB has come a long way since his ordinary debut in 2004, his career witnessing a sharp growth after 2008.

The multi-talented man who defines ‘style’, ‘versatility’ and ‘flair’ has multiple scoring options off every ball bowled to him, much like he had multiple options for a career, before he even turned 20. Now, like then, we hope he continues to make illustrious choices, thrilling us cricket lovers, forever starved of flamboyance blended with elegantly conjured stroke-play.