Why did De Villiers pick RCB over Manchester United and Chinnaswamy over Supersport Park? Check out!

Bengaluru, September 25: With his imperious cuts, the ferocious pull shots and the slog hits off spinners into the corner stands, Abraham Benjamin de Villiers is the ideal 360 degree player any cricket aficionado or fan would like like to watch everytime.

The South African who plies his trade with the Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) is the one who makes his bat do the talking all the time.

Though RCB are yet to win an IPL title till date, De Villiers believes the Bengaluru-based franchise's time will come sooner than later.

The 37-year-old may not have had the most promising start to the second leg of IPL 2021 currently being held in the UAE , but is pretty sure that RCB are ready to lift the till-now elusive IPL trophy this season.

In a freewheeling chat with Indian women's team cricketer Jemimah Rodrigues on Dream11 Dil Ya Dimaag, De Villiers picked his favourite franchise RCB over Premier League football giants Manchester United and the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru over the Supersport Park Stadium in Centurion, South Africa.

.@ABdeVilliers17 dil se khel ke bowler ka dimaag kharab karte hai. Let's see how he thinks off the pitch in this episode of @dream11 #DilYaDimaag#TeamHaiTohMazaaHai #VIVOIPL #RCB #KKR pic.twitter.com/DDB3FqThul

— Jemimah Rodrigues (@JemiRodrigues) September 20, 2021

The Proteas wicketkeeper-batsman was asked to pick a stadium he enjoyed scoring runs at and pat came his reply.

"Definitely Chinnaswamy, I no longer play international cricket, so, when I come to the Chinnaswamy and put my RCB jersey on, there's nothing that beats that," said De Villiers, who in May, 2018 had made a sudden announcement to retire from international cricket.

He had played 114 Tests, 228 One-day Internatiols and 78 Twenty20 Internationals before making the surprise decision to call its quits.

Even though he has retired from international cricket, De Villiers backed himself over RCB skipper Kohli when asked who he would choose to score 20 runs off the last over.

But he wore his Proteas heart on his sleeve when Jemimah asked him to go back in time and win one game between 2015 ICC 50-Overs Cricket World Cup semifinal (where South Africa lost a thriller to New Zealand in the last over at Auckland) and the IPL 2016 final in which RCB went down to Sunrisers Hyderabad at their homeground of Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

"The World Cup is something that I grew up wanting. It was my first dream growing up as a young boy starting to play cricket."

IPL POINTS TABLE | FIXTURES/RESULTS

After the six-wicket loss to MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Friday (September 24), RCB are currently third in IPL 2021 table with 10 points from nine matches.

They next take on the Rohit Sharma-led IPL champions Mumbai Indians at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday (September 26).

At a time when boorish players' behaviour is a cause of concern for cricketing nations, De Villiers continues to earn love, respect, plaudits with his sheer cricketing skills and acumen.

Shuffling outside the off-stump and whipping deliveries behind square is a shot for which De Villiers can claim patent rights. As IPL 2021 is gathering momentum with franchises vying for play-off spots, the time is ripe to surf YouTube and watch those AB Insane Shots.

No wonder the pundits and aficionados alike call him the AB 360 degree!