AB DE VILLERS : MAN WITH THE MAGIC WILLOW

PART 19 - THAT RCB THINKS OF AB

The perfect athlete, AB de Villiers is one of the most gifted cricketers around.

South Africa captain in the limited overs format, AB made his debut in 2004 and immediately showed why he was special with the adaptability in his batting and sublime fielding.

He can switch from classical batting to playing more innovative strokes and that sets him apart from most South African batsmen. On the field AB carries forward the legacy of Jonty Rhodes as one of International cricket's finest fielders and is good enough to play as wicketkeeper for RCB.

de Villiers successfully fought off a slump in form he suffered in 2006-07 to evolve into one of the world's best. His form since then has been jaw-dropping and he currently is among the top 3 in both the ICC Test and ODI batting rankings and is not too far in the T20 International rankings.

His stint as South African captain saw him handle responsibility superbly and lead SA to comprehensive series wins against Sri Lanka and New Zealand.

AB played for Delhi Daredevils in the first three seasons of the IPL, the highlight being his ton against Chennai Super Kings in 2009 in South Africa. For RCB, de Villiers has hit many an eye catching innings, even picking up an award for the most power packed knock in the 2012 IPL for his assault on Dale Steyn.

Besides cricket, AB is also an avid golfer and a singer with an album, an allrounder even beyond the game.