Is AB de Villiers the most complete batsman in the world?

After Sachin Tendulkar retired from international cricket, my interest in the game started to drop. I started criticising everything about the game, to become very negative about all forms of cricket.

And, then I was overwhelmed by a phenomenon called Abraham Benjamin de Villiers.

I started loving the game again every time I watch AB. His batting, his demeanor on and off the field, his passion for the game.

I am writing this article after the Indian Premier League eliminator match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals. Bangalore were down and out midway of their innings. But AB was still at the crease, and he put on a masterclass.

There was some really good bowling on a two-paced wicket, but AB showed all his variety. Whether it was a one-knee sink and a thump over midwicket for a six, a slog sweep or a rocket boundary over covers, AB produced shots all around the park. Bangalore went from 2/60 at the end of 10 overs to ending up with 4/180.

Is AB the most complete batsman in the modern cricket? There are many greats, but each has some weakness left to conquer.

There’s Virat Kohli’s niggle around the off-stump, Hashim Amla, Michael Clarke and Kumar Sangakarra’s inability to score like lightning, and MS Dhoni’s lack of scores abroad are chinks in their armour.

But our cool and composed dude, the man with graceful drives, rock-solid defence, magnetic pulls and hooks, cheeky sweeps and reverse sweeps doesn’t seem to have any weakness at all.

I became an AB fan in 2011, when he made his way to Royal Challengers Bangalore. Within a couple of innings people were praising his prowess, considering him to be one of the best T20 players ever. His 89 of 41 balls, when he smashed Dale Steyn in an IPL match just made his fans love him even more.

“He’s (AB de Villiers) the best player in the world by far. He’s shown it every now and then and it’s a pleasure to watch him play. Today was one of the days where we needed someone to put his hand up and perform and that’s the best knock in a T20 game I’ve ever seen,” said Virat Kohli after AB’s batting exhibition.

And AB is not just about T20. In fact, he is equally as good in ODIs and in Tests. I don’t remember a single player who was equally awesome in all the three formats.

There is an AB for each type of cricket. One can only watch in perplexity as to how a guy who can score a century is 50 balls in T20 can also play 220 balls for 33 runs at a strike rate of 15 when the situation demands. Apart from having a yawning gap in strike rates as the situation demands, has also played in all positions starting from one to eight in Test matches. In fact, the technique of this champ is so impermeable that he was actually handed a Test cap way ahead of him being handed one in the one-day arena.

Never having been dropped since making his respective debuts says a ton about his impact on the South African team. In fact, it must be a challenge for the Proteas on how to utilise this inhuman talent across all formats without overburdening the maestro.

There are sloggers, there are timers and there are batsmen who can’t be classified – they are so complete. And as David Warner has said upon his comparison with AB, “I am not in the same category as AB de Villiers. He is a guy that comes out and gets himself in and then all of a sudden he just switches from slow motion to the extreme rocket or something like that. Whatever he is eating, we want some of that. That’s the way he plays; it is fearless cricket.”

A few stats
AB holds the unique record of playing the most innings without a duck since his debut in Test cricket. Between December 2004 and November 2008, de Villiers played 78 Test innings and was off the mark every single time. He also was the first South African to register a double ton against India, a feat he achieved on Indian soil.

De Villiers had an ordinary Test record until the end of 2008. However, since 2009, de Villiers has raised eyebrows with his numbers in both Tests and ODIs. Compared to a decent Test average of less than 42 before 2009, his post-2009 average has shot up to 61.20, a leap of around 50 per cent. He is equally dominant in ODIs also, with the average going up from 36.40 to 62.67, a rise of almost 72 per cent. Along with it, the strike rate has been more than a run a ball. The Pretoria-born superstar is also the only batsman during this period to average more than 60 in both Tests and ODIs, showing enormous consistency and versatility.

He averages above 40 in all parts of the world (except India and Sri Lanka where he has played two Tests each) including a staggering 165 and 116.20 in West Indies and UAE respectively.

He averages more than 63.3 when he comes out to bat generally at no. 5 in Tests. The warrior has held the fort when required the most.

In ODIs, he boasts of the highest batting average since 2009 and also scoring them at a mind boggling pace. He is the only player with a below-40 per cent dot ratio among players having more than 2,000 runs during the period.

Though he finished first in the batsmen ratings for Tests as well as ODIs at the end of 2013 and currently sits at second in Test and first in ODI rankings, a lesser known fact is that de Villiers has the 10th and 15th highest overall cricket rating since the inception of the game, speaking volumes of his class and consistency.

In my earlier write ups I have spoken about changing the rules of ODIs in favour of bowlers. Well AB is one such batsman who has the ability to seed such thoughts in everyone’s mind. Rahul Dravid said, “AB is changing the rules of the game.”

And no stat can measure AB’s charisma and character. More than the complete player, fans love him for the person that he is. When he took the blame for the semi-final defeat against the Black Caps, my heart cried with his. It just shows what he expects of himself as a player and as a team man.

He is just 31 and has at least four years of cricket left. With 98 Tests, 187 ODIs, and close to 8000 runs in both the formats, he will perhaps go on to break many records.

There are the best, there are greats, there a complete batsmen, and then there is Abraham Benjamin de Villiers.

Signing off with a few amazing records that he holds:

• The fastest 50 (16 balls), 100 (31 balls) and 150 (64 balls) in ODIs.
• Each of de Villiers’ 20 ODI tons have come at a strike rate of over hundred, the only player to boast such a record.
• He is the only player ever to score three hundreds against the same opponent in World Cups. He had scored hundreds against WI in 2007 and 2011, too.
• Captaincy ain’t a challenge for ABD. He was the quickest ever to get to 3000 ODI runs as captain, getting to the mark in 60 innings. MS Dhoni (70) of India is next on the list.
• He has never missed a Test match since his debut (98*).
• He is the fastest player to reach 7000 runs in ODIs.
• He equalled the record of most sixes (16) in an innings in an ODI format along with Rohit Sharma and Chris Gayle against the West Indies at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg on 18 January 2015. He also holds the record for the most sixes in Cricket World Cup (37 sixes) along with Chris Gayle.