By Drcricket7 Staff
Test cricket could be slow, boring, laborious and, at time, extremely frustrating. But if you have the most destructive batsman in the world playing the role of the most defensive batsman, it can’t get more interesting than that.
On the fifth day of the fourth Test between India and South Africa, the cricket followers finally witness something, which they had never seen before.
The super athletic AB de Villiers, who is known in the circuit for his aggressive bent of mind, played one of the most slowest and sedate knock of his Test career.
In a match-saving situation, AB de Villiers was so different from what we are used to seeing him that even those, who hate Test cricket for being not pacy, would have seen the proceedings at the Kotla.
He was hit twice by Indian pacer Umesh Yadav on his fingers, still he refused to leave the crease. On Monday, AB de Villiers had only one objective and that was to save the Test for his team.
For that, he had unlimited energy and grit to hang in there and frustrate the Indian bowlers. Unfortunately for AB, he couldn’t save the Proteas from saving the Test match. India won by 337 runs and eventually won the series by a 3-0 margin.
He is the same AB de Villiers who has scored one of the fastest ODI hundred off just 31 deliveries. But at Kotla, he batted, as if he was possessed. With an overnight score of 11 off 91 deliveries.
He batted for more than two session. Just after tea, there was probably a lapse in his concentration that cost him his wicket. In all, AB de Villiers batted for 349 minutes and it was like an epic knock till Ravichandran Ashwin cut short his stay.
He also played 297 balls and has the slowest strike-rate of 14.5 with only six hits to the fence to make 43. He was also involved in the slowest partnership in Test cricket with his captain Hashim Amla (27-run stand from 253 balls for the third wicket).
After de Villiers’ dismissal, South Africa folded up like a pack of cards. Ashin got another fifer and it was Ravindra Jadeja who created all the pressure by delivering 33 maiden over out of 46 that he bowled.
Then left-armer also grabbed two victims to his credit and one of them was the prized scalp of Amla. Even Umesh got his mojo back and took two early wickets with his reserve swing after tea to bring India back into the game.
It was a most dramatic end to the Kotla Test, where the best side won. But AB’s individual effort to fight against all odds was the most striking part of the Test!
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