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AB de Villiers’s 100th Test: Top 10 Test knocks by the South African superhero

As the dashing batsman braces for his 100th Test in Bengaluru, let's take a look at some of his greatest Test knocks.

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AB de Villiers currently holds the record for the highest score in the UAE, slamming an unbeaten 278 against Pakistan in 2010-11 © Getty Images
AB de Villiers currently holds the record for the highest score in the UAE, slamming an unbeaten 278 against Pakistan in 2010-11 © Getty Images

One of the biggest talking points ahead of the second Test between India and South Africa at Bangalore is that of AB de Villiers playing his 100th Test. Given the sheer number of achievements and milestones that de Villiers has to his credit, a 100th Test appearance will perhaps be just another number for the dashing batsman. Over years ABD has given us several knocks to cherish about, the top ten of which has been compiled by Amit Banerjee. LIVE CRICKET SCORECARD: India vs South Africa 2015, 2nd Test at Bengaluru, Day 1

AB de Villiers’ career can be effectively summed up by his performances in the ongoing tour of India — shining outrageously with the bat across formats aside from coming in handy for his team with his superb fielding skills and able leadership. Having set grounds on fire with his centuries in the limited-overs formats, he was once again the standout batsman in the first Test, top-scoring for his side with a gritty 63. READ — Home match at Bengaluru for South Africa’s AB de Villiers against India

While the South African ODI skipper may have tough competition from the likes of Virat Kohli, Steven Smith, Brendon McCullum and Kane Williamson in the current era of cricket, the fact remains that he is streets ahead of his competition when it comes to consistency across formats (with perhaps the exception of Hashim Amla), especially in the last six years, during which he has averaged 61 in Tests alone.

Following is the list of some of his top knocks since making his debut in the home series against England in 2004-05, listed in chronological order:

1. 109 vs England at Centurion, 2004-05: The blond-haired Afrikaner had made his debut in the home series against England during a phase when the Proteas were going through a transformation. Their first-round exit from the 2003 World Cup had been a blow, as had been the retirement of greats like Allan Donald, Jonty Rhodes, Gary Kirsten and Lance Klusener. England were leading the series 2-1 ahead of the final Test at Centurion, and South Africa needed some resurgence in the final Test in order to pull off a series-levelling victory. Unfortunately for them, England managed to grab a substantial first-innings lead to boost their chances of sealing the series win.

De Villiers, brought in as opener alongside skipper Graeme Smith, struck 92 in the first innings to guide his side to 247. Having conceded a 112-run lead thanks to some fine performances by the English middle-order, South Africa had to put up a strong response in their second innings in order to keep their hopes alive. De Villiers responded brilliantly on the occasion by getting his maiden Test hundred under pressure, forming a vital partnership with Jacques Kallis (136 not out) to guide South Africa to 296 for 6. Unfortunately, England managed to bat out the remaining 41 overs on the final day to seal a 2-1 series win.

While South Africa mourned the series loss to England, which exacerbated their miserable run in for the past one year, the cricketing sphere had just bore witness to the beginning of a prodigy.

2. 217 not out vs India at Ahmedabad, 2008: Following a high-scoring draw at Chepauk in the first of the three-Test series, the famed South African pacer trio of Dale Steyn, Makhaya Ntini and Morne Morkel spewed fire and venom in the second match at Motera to bowl India out for 76 in the first session of the Test. The Indian masters were barely able to stand against the variation, and even fell to poor shot selections. The Indian fans would’ve been praying for a similar bowling performance by the likes of S Sreesanth and co., but it was the pair of de Villiers and Kallis that stole the thunder away from the match completely with their 256-run fifth wicket stand.

De Villiers brought up his maiden Test double-ton to prove that the pitch had something to offer for the batsmen as well, hitting 17 boundaries and 2 sixes as the Indian bowling unit failed to get rid of him till the end of the innings. A spirited Indian batting performance in the second innings couldn’t prevent them from capitulating to an innings defeat, one of their worst on home soil.

3. 174 vs England at Headingley, 2008: ABD seemed to have carried his insatiable appetite for runs over to the British Isles, where South Africa were up against a Michael Vaughan-led England side in the four-Test Basil D’Oliveira Trophy. Following a drawn first Test at Lord’s, South Africa were off to a good start in the second game at Headingley, bowling England out for 203. In reply, the Proteas lost wickets early in their innings, but were brought back to their feet by Ashwell Prince (149) and ABD (174), with the duo sharing a 212-run stand for the fifth wicket.

De Villiers, who had sealed the No. 6 position by now, was booed earlier on the opening day for claiming a catch off Andrew Strauss, one that was later shown to have grassed in the replays. The Headingley crowd, as well as the England players themselves, gave him a tough time at the crease, especially when he was stuck on a nervy 99 for more than 40 minutes. His mental strength, however, saw him win the battle over the hostile hosts; it was one of his finest knocks ever, one that eventually won him the respect of his opposition and paved way for a 10-wicket win for the visitors.

4. 106 not out vs Australia at Perth, 2008-09: South Africa had always had a tough time against the Australians. After being thwarted by Aussies for the most part, South Africa set forth to post a new challenge to the team that had just won the World Cup for the fourth time. South Africa had reduced the hosts to 15 for 3 on the opening day, but were outplayed by Ricky Ponting’s men till the fourth day to be set a mammoth target of 414. The odds were heavily stacked against the South Africans, given Mitchell Johnson’s 8 for 61 in the first innings on a lively WACA track, who formed a formidable opening combination with Brett Lee.

What South Africa accomplished on the final day however, will stand the Test of time. After Graeme Smith’s ton to set the flow for the Proteas, the top and the middle-order rallied to make the massive target look like an easy one. De Villiers played the innings of a lifetime, thwarting the pace trio of Johnson, Lee and Peter Siddle to bring up what was his seventh Test ton at that time, remaining unbeaten till the end of the chase to pull off one of South Africa’s most memorable victories of all time across formats. Like the famous 438 game at the Wanderers, this win helped chase away the ghosts of South Africa’s past struggles against Australia.

5. 163 vs Australia at Cape Town, 2008-09: The all-conquering South Africans had just pulled off a 2-1 Test series victory Down Under to topple Australia from the top-spot in the ICC Test rankings for the first time since its inception in 2002. This time, the contest had moved back home, where Australia were planning on inflicting the same treatment onto the Proteas, and had fulfilled those hopes by winning the first two Tests by comfortable margins of 162 and 175 runs respectively.

South Africa were off to a good start in their aim of pulling off a consolatory victory in the dead rubber of a final Test by bowling Australia out for 209. South Africa, in reply, put up a mammoth 651 to gain a lead in excess of 400, with de Villiers top-scoring with an aggressive, almost maniacal 163 off 196 balls with 12 fours and 7 sixes, which helped setup an innings and 20-run win for the hosts to end the series 2-1 in Australia’s favour. READ — AB de Villiers: Don Bradman of this generation?

6. 278 not out vs Pakistan at Abu Dhabi, 2010-11: In a typical, flat subcontinent pitch known for being a treasure of runs for batsmen, de Villiers notched up his highest-ever Test score of 278 against a Pakistan attack devoid of quality spinners, and a pace attack consisting of Umar Gul, Tanveer Ahmed and Mohammad Sami. After a high-scoring drawn first Test at Dubai, South Africa were off to a shaky start after being put to bat in the second Test, getting reduced to 33 for 3. It was up to the able middle-order pair of de Villiers and Kallis (105) to rescue their side from the misery with 179-run fourth-wicket stand, as well as a 107-run last wicket stand with Morne Morkel (35 not out) as the Proteas declared at 584 for 9.

The knock stood out for showcasing de Villiers’ ability as a Test batsman, for rising from a precarious position to record the highest score in UAE (that still stands), with the Pakistani bowlers not being able to dismiss him for 418 deliveries, with the batsman scoring 23 fours and 6 sixes during this time. Even though the series ended in a tame draw, de Villiers made a strong statement with the bat, notching up South Africa’s highest individual Test score at the time.

7. 33 vs Australia at Adelaide, 2012-13: Graeme Smith’s third Test series in Australia as the South African skipper began with a draw at Brisbane. Australia amassed 550 thanks to a fabulous 230 by Michael Clarke and tons by David Warner (119) and Mike Hussey (103). South Africa battled hard with the bat in their first innings, but ended up conceding a 162-run lead after getting bowled out for 388 (Kallis scoring 58 from No. 9). Despite restricting Australia to 267 for 8 before the declaration, a target of 430 with one-and-a-half days remaining in the Test was a tough ask.

A heavy defeat seemed like a certain when the top-order collapsed, with the South African scorecard reading 45 for 4 at one stage. In came stalwart de Villiers, who added 89 runs for the fifth wicket in 68 overs with Faf du Plessis. Like the knock of 278 against Pakistan, this knock stands out as a perfect answer to those who ever question de Villiers’ ability to play a defensive Test knock. While du Plessis eventually became the talk of the town after remaining unbeaten on 110 off 376 balls to see off a draw, ABD’s rock-like innings will forever be etched among his die-hard fans.

8. 169 vs Australia at Perth, 2012-13: De Villiers’ penchant for collecting runs on the WACA track, otherwise not a happy hunting ground for batsmen, continued in South Africa’s 2011-12 Down Under. With the first two Tests drawn at The Gabba and Adelaide Oval, Graeme Smith’s boys were aiming for their second consecutive Test series win in Australia, at WACA. After Steyn and Robin Peterson’s heroics with the ball helped them gain a 62-run first-innings lead, it was de Villiers’s 184-ball 169 (along with Hashim Amla’s 196) that helped the Proteas amass 569 and set a near-impossible 632-run target.

It was another pacey knock from de Villiers, one that contained 21 fours and 3 sixes at a strike-rate of 91 that helped South Africa set the massive target as early as on the third day. This came barely days after the 220-ball 33 (see above). Australia fought hard in the final innings, but were bowled out for 322 on the fourth day as Ponting could not end his glorious international career on a high. Smith, on the other hand, proudly wielded the Test mace as they managed to dislodge Australia from the top spot in ICC rankings once again.

9. 116 vs Australia at Port Elizabeth 2013-14: South Africa’s rivalry with Australia in recent years had grown to feverish proportions, making this series a highly-anticipated one. Following a devastating 281-run loss at Centurion, South Africa had to come up with something special at St George’s Park in order to keep the series alive.

Trust AB to come up with something special in these circumstances: after losing the wicket of Smith with just 10 on board, Dean Elgar and Amla propelled the innings with half-centuries, before de Villiers’ applause-worthy 116 against the trio of Johnson, Siddle and Ryan Harris — the same attack that had made life a living hell for England in the 2013-14 Ashes — helped South Africa post 423 in their first innings with JP Duminy chipping in with a 231-ball 123. While de Villiers couldn’t quite find the same rhythm in the second innings, South Africa levelled the series in style with a 231-run victory.

10. 63 vs India at Mohali, 2015-16: The most recent knock of the list had happened only a Test ago. Having won the T20I and ODI series in style, the Proteas continued their menacing form by bowling India out for 201 in their first innings, with the spinners getting 7 out of the 10 wickets. For the first time in the series, however, South Africa were completely outplayed by the Indian spinners to collapse to 184, conceding a 17-run lead. Had it not been for de Villiers and Amla (43), the situation would have been far worse for the Proteas. De Villiers once again exhibited class, as well as his ability to tackle the best of spinners. READ: India hammer South Africa by 108 runs in 1st Test to gain 1-0 lead

(Amit Banerjee, a reporter at CricketCountry, takes keen interest in photography, travelling, technology, automobiles, food and, of course, cricket. He can be followed on Twitter via his handle @akb287)

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