AB de Villiers, the renowned batting legend of South Africa, recently shared his insights on the three toughest bowlers he has faced throughout his career. In an interview with Robin Uthappa on JioCinema, de Villiers named Shane Warne, Jasprit Bumrah and Rashid Khan as the most formidable opponents he has encountered on the cricket field.
De Villiers specifically delved into his battles against Warne, reminiscing about the challenges he faced. The right-handed batter revealed that Warne had the ability to exploit his weaknesses, some of which de Villiers himself was unaware of. The former captain of South Africa explained that Warne’s commanding presence made it difficult for any batsman to face him, regardless of the pitch conditions favouring the bowler.
“I think Shane Warne in 2006 the first time I travelled to Australia, not so much because of skill and technique and also just the presence of the man and the aura he carried. And obviously I was quite inexperienced. I knew from the get-go he was going to get out,” de Villiers said in his interaction with Uthappa.
Although de Villiers managed to score sixty runs in one game against Warne, he acknowledged the spinner’s astute understanding of batsmen, which allowed him to consistently outsmart them. In their six encounters, Warne dismissed de Villiers on four occasions.
“That game felt easy, but he was just a smart, incredible player, and it worked out pretty quickly. That’s my technique. It’s not quite spot on when it comes to playing straight. So, he was really going slow, slow, slider straight. And I missed the straight one and not long after that, that was my weakness for 2005, 06 and 07 I would miss straight balls, especially angling a bit back,” added De Villiers.
“I would fall over, touch with my head. My back lift was a little bit beyond my back and. And I had to pay the juice. I mean I had to go back to the drawing board to figure out my technique, but he was a man who could figure out little things like that and understand there’s something not right with this guy’s bat lift. Let’s go straight and just sided it in there and ultimately I missed one,” the 39-year-old said about playing Warne.
De Villiers also acknowledged the formidable nature of Bumrah and Rashid. He praised both players for their attacking mindset, which made them standout competitors.
“Bumrah was always very challenging because he was so competitive, he would never back down, is always in your face so I’ve got a lot of respect for him and the way he plays his cricket. I got a hold of him even a few times. He came back at me and got a hold of me a few times and I love that competitiveness,” de Villiers said.
Despite having hit Rashid for a barrage of sixes in one particular match, de Villiers expressed admiration for the Afghan spinner’s courage and determination. He highlighted Rashid’s fearlessness in persistently attacking the batsman, even after being hit for boundaries.
“Rashid Khan, tough to pick at night once again. Got him a few times and he would always come back. Always in your face. He hit him with three sixes, as he was trying to get me out the next ball. And those are the kind of bowlers I always found difficult to face and always had a lot of respect for,” de Villiers concluded.
