IPL 2021: "AB de Villiers should bat with his eyes closed or else it becomes too easy for him" - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra has joked that AB de Villiers should bat with his eyes shut as he makes batting seem very easy otherwise.
AB de Villiers smashed an unbeaten 75 off just 42 deliveries in the Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) IPL 2021 encounter against the Delhi Capitals (DC). The knock was studded with three fours and five mighty sixes.
While talking about RCB's batting effort in a video shared on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra stated light-heartedly that AB de Villiers should be confronted with some newer challenges to make things slightly difficult for him.
"It was the AB de Villiers show. He is Superman, unbelievable. It was something only he could do. He should bat with his eyes closed or else it becomes too easy for him or he should play with the edge of the bat or play with the bat's edge with his eyes closed," said Chopra.
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RCB were in a spot of bother when AB de Villiers came to the crease at the fall of Glenn Maxwell's wicket, with the score reading 60/3 in the ninth over. The Proteas great took the attack to the Delhi Capitals bowlers to help the Virat Kohli-led side reach a fighting score of 171/5.
"AB de Villiers has a software to change good balls also to bad deliveries" - Aakash Chopra
Aakash Chopra spoke in glowing terms about AB de Villiers' ability to smash towering sixes even when the surface is not conducive to big hitting.
"It was difficult to bat on this pitch because the ball was staying low and it is tough to hit the ball in the air when the ball is striking low on the bat. Bounce is important to hit the sixes but he is AB de Villiers. He has a software to change good balls also to bad deliveries," added Chopra.
The former KKR player also lauded Rajat Patidar for playing a pleasing knock and helping AB de Villiers take RCB to a defendable score.
"I like Rajat Patidar. I have been asking repeatedly for RCB to play him. He played very well. It was a 30-run knock but a nice one. The straight six was beautiful. So both of them did a very good job," concluded Chopra.
Rajat Patidar scored 31 runs off 22 deliveries and stitched together a 54-run fourth-wicket partnership with AB de Villiers. Apart from hitting a couple of sixes, he rotated strike very well and allowed his illustrious partner to get his eye in before playing the big shots.