Like prophesised, One-day cricket isn’t dying the death that many believe it’s destined to. Till the penultimate ball of the match, it wasn’t decided on who would be the Man of the Match — Rohit Sharma or AB de Villiers, till a 20-year-old Kagiso Rabada decided the fate of the game in South Africa’s favour. Scorecard: India vs South Africa 2015, 1st ODI at Kanpur
In a game that swung like a pendulum till the end saw heroes at plenty. Rohit’s 150 almost did it for India while Rabada’s final over decided the game but it was the captain de Villiers’ show that powered South Africa to a 1-0 lead in the One-Day International (ODI) series. Yes, he has scored those breezy hundreds in no time displaying his skill with 360-degree hitting, but this knock — no less savage, was very different from those. To stand a chance against the strong Indian batting line-up, South Africa needed to post a big total. With Hashim Amla out early, AB had the responsibility to build the innings and what was his hallmark today is the fact that he paced his innings brilliantly. READ: Ravichandran Ashwin — From just another ‘mystery spinner’ to India’s premier bowler
The Kanpur track wasn’t a regular belter and he did benefit from the starts that Quinton de Kock, Amla and Faf du Plessis provided. Coming into bat in the 24th over, at the fall of Amla’s wicket, de Villiers had the job to not only rebuild but also to guide them till the end. Usually it’s Amla or du Plessis holding the fort with de Villiers launching the onslaught at the end. This was different. Considering the fact that not many in his side have played a lot of international cricket in India barring a few IPL matches, he knew his job was to stay till the end. Ravichandran Ashwin’s untimed injury did help his cause as the wily bowler had troubled him in the preceding Twenty20 International (T20I) series.
De Villiers ended up getting 104 not out from 73 balls, belting five fours and six sixes, but that’s not how it started. When David Miller was dismissed in the 41st over, South Africa were in a spot of bother. They were going under five an over with 197 in the board and four wickets down. De Villiers was batting on 46 from 51 balls and all he had hit was two sixes. He brought up his half century in the next over from 54 balls and it was only from the 45th over bowled by Stuart Binny, when he decided to up the gear. Thereon, the six overs that India bowled saw them concede 86 runs and South Africa ended with 303 on the board — the highest total ever scored in Kanpur. The psychological advantage was gained and he received good support from Farhaan Behardien who chipped in with a 19-ball 35. READ: South Africa pip India by 5 runs in thrilling 1st ODI at Kanpur
The word ‘perfect’ isn’t usually used in sports but with de Villiers exceptions can be made. His 21st ODI hundred can be defined as the perfect innings in this format. He got his eye in, put up crucial partnerships, got the scoreboard ticking, controlled the proceedings and went berserk in the end. It was quite dramatic that he had to clear the ground off the final ball of the South African innings to get to his hundred. The Indian fans are definitely known to be sporting but not often an opposition hundred gets that kind of a reception that the capacity Indian crowd at Kanpur had reserved for AB when he reached the three figure mark. That sums it up.
(Suvajit Mustafi consumes cricket for lunch, fiction for dinner and munches numerous other snacks throughout the day. Yes, a jack of several trades, all Suvajit dreamt of was being India’s World Cup winning skipper but ended up being a sports writer, author, screenwriter, director, copywriter, graphic designer, sportsmarketer , strategist, entrepreneur, philosopher and traveller. Donning so many hats, it’s cricket which gives him the ultimate high and where he finds solace. He can be followed at @RibsGully and rivu7)
Written by 
