RCB stalwart De Villiers smashes the theory about Twenty20 extravaganza being hard on the body; reveals playing here before ICC Champions Trophy can only be an advantage
AB de Villiers
SA ODI skipper AB de Villiers at a city hotel yesterday. Pic/Sameer Markande
When you think of South Africa and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star AB de Villiers, there appears a montage of him bludgeoning sixes, a charismatic player and an even humble personality.
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However, AB has displayed a pale shadow of his capabilities in this IPL and RCB have no chance to qualify for the play offs.
In a chat, AB, who was recently announced as Montblanc India and South Africa ambassador, opens up.
Excerpts:
What could be the reason for RCB's poor show this season? Did you expect such a performance?
I didn't expect that. I was hoping for us to perform much better. I don't want to touch on the reasons, because they will sound like excuses and I don't like excuses. At the end of the day, every single team that plays in the IPL go through certain obstacles in order to win the trophy. We unfortunately didn't get across our obstacles and challenges. We didn't perform as well as we wanted to. We didn't bat well when we needed to. In games when we needed to bowl well, we didn't. It's so easy for me to think of a thousand excuses — injuries, the wickets — I'm not that kind of a guy.
What's the mood in the RCB camp right now?
The mood is fine. We know we have the opportunity to play three good games of cricket to finish off the season. Hopefully, we can win three in a row. The most important thing is to give our fans something to cheer about. They are loyal and have always come back to support us. The mood is fantastic. It's a group of great human beings and that is much larger than any sport you participate in. We are a bunch of good friends. Unfortunately, the performance wasn't there this season.
How much of a concern is it to the owners of a franchise when their star players fail?
You have to ask them. I'm not sure. I hope they still like us. I don't think I've performed horribly this season. From a personal point of view, I've had a few good knocks here and there. I felt good in the last game (vs Mumbai Indians) again. Unfortunately, I didn't get a big hundred. If people like to look at stats, I don't think I've played that badly. Some of the star performers like Virat and a few others also played well. It's part of the game. You are not going to get 11 guys performing in every single game. It's the same for every other teams. It's just a matter of getting across your challenges and making sure you don't fade under the pressure.
Has Kohli's injury affected his IPL performance?
I don't think so. He is still playing well. He hasn't played all the games, but it's difficult to replicate four hundreds in a season like he did last year. I don't think that is ever going to happen again in the IPL. He is still a fantastic player. He played a beautiful knock in Rajkot. It's just a matter of not gelling together as a team.
With the Champions Trophy in June, don't you think it was a risk to play the IPL after recovering from your back injury?
It would have been a risk not to play as I would have got horribly out of form. At least I get to play games. It's not too much cricket in the IPL. It's T20 cricket which is not hard on the body. It's much more important for me to play white-ball cricket to make sure I practice well and get ready for the Champions Trophy. It's the same for the other guys. Some of the players took a break from the IPL and that's also good for them because they have played more cricket than me. I think we've got the balance very well.
What is tougher - playing a one-and-a-half-month T20 league like the IPL - or a Test series?
Test cricket is much harder than any other format. That's why I felt I needed to break away from the format. It's really hard on the body and the mind. It's a long time away from home. It's never a short little trip. The answer is — Test cricket, by a long way.
How are you going to go about it being the brand ambassador for Montblanc and its UNICEF partnership to educate poor children?
I've always been involved in charity work; that is really close to my heart. I think I still haven't done my own thing with that yet. I've got a big plan in doing something really big and special.
In India?
A: I’m not 100 per cent sure if it will be in India. It’s something I have always been dreaming about. Hopefully, I will get there, but for now I am associated with Montblanc to do the ‘Pass It On’ campaign. It’s all about putting emphasis on writing. I really believe writing has got the power to change the world. I’ve got personal experience with that, receiving little notes. The day I made my debut, Shaun Pollock slipped a little note under my door. I still have that note saying: ‘Youngster, you’re good enough to be at this level. All the best. I am right behind you. From Polly.’ I will never forget that. There’s a lot of power in that and to get that message across to youngsters around the world that it is important to have that power to write.
When did you get your first watch?
A: The first watch I got today. I did a photoshoot a few months ago in South Africa with Montblanc. I saw all the products there and I pinpointed this watch called the Summit. It’s an in fashion kind of watch. It’s a very new thing. It’s got all the latest technology. I love the look of it. It’s about the mood you’re in. I am in the IPL at the moment and I am feeling the Summit is really going well with my mood right now.
God willing, not so soon, but once you get done with your playing days, what are your plans? Are you going to carry on with your music?
A: It’s a difficult question. It’s something I have been working on for the last eight to nine years. It’s all about finding a passion and doing something that you love doing. So whatever the pay after cricket, I don’t care as long as I enjoy what I do. I’m not sure if I am still going to be involved with the game. I’d like to think I’ll be a little bit involved, but not too much. But then away from the game, I’ll find something that I really want to get up every morning and go like: ‘This is what I love doing.’
And will music be part of it?
A: It might be. I don’t think music has got a career for me, but something to do with music. It could be something I’ll be interested in, but I’m not sure what it is yet.
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