IPL 2021: AB de Villiers explains how he deals with various challenges of T20 format

Chennai, April 14: Royal Challengers Bangalore's South Africa great AB de Villiers has explained how he deals with the various challenges that come with the T20 format, saying "fear of failure" has pushed him to focus more.

De Villiers, who had missed any form of cricket since the last IPL, brought back his vintage best with a match-winning knock against defending champions Mumbai Indians in the IPL 2021 opener.

De Villiers, who has been with RCB for a decade, revealed how he manages to stay sharp despite not having any match practice for close to six months and he also explained what are the challenges faced as a middle order batsman in T20s.

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"It's not always very enjoyable. I try and play the situations that I am confronted with in the best possible way, sounds pretty simple. But fact of the matter is that when you bat in the middle order, the situation changes every time."

"It's a matter of adapting and trying to make most of it...It comes off more often than not," the Proteas legend told RCB 'Bold Diaries'.

Bold Diaries: AB de Villiers Interview part 1

Superman AB talks about his batting, how he consistently plays those unbelievable knocks, our opposition for today SRH and his mindset heading onto the field, on @myntra presents Bold Diaries.#PlayBold​ #WeAreChallengers​ #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/9nDzJddhFn

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) April 14, 2021

The South African great also said one can't escape the reality that there will be failures which has always pushed him and helped him to focus more.

"But you always know that its possible that you are going to fail. Fear of failure always pushes me to focus more on the ball and do basics better. Try and get a start. It is important to start the first 20 balls well," he said.

The 37-year-old, who has retired from international cricket, also admitted that when one plays top-level cricket with big gaps in between, getting back to rhythm takes time.

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"I must say the work to get back to decent form was lot harder than before and the last match I played was in last IPL," he said.

"It doesn't mean that I didn't put in the hard yards and I started about two months ago. I had 2-3 months off, stayed fit in the gym and I started hitting cricket balls. Enough to get me to space, to get me going," de Villiers said.

On Wednesday's IPL 2021 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, De Villiers is confident that RCB will be able to capitalise on their opponents' lack of depth and also added he likes facing their southern rivals.

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"It is a nice attack (SRH) to face, it is a great challenge. I always enjoy playing against Sunrisers Hyderabad. They can challenge you with their skill and they are always smart.

"It is a matter of us making sure that we get some partnerships and once we get on top of them, they are a kind of a team we can really dominate," he said.

"They do not have as much depth as some of the other teams in the IPL. If we get hold of them, we have to make sure that we do not allow them to make a comeback because that's where they are really dangerous," he concluded.