Kevin Pietersen, the former England captain said AB de Villiers would not want to see captain Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell do the bulk of the scoring in every match.
It’s not usual to see AB de Villiers short of runs in a tournament let alone the IPL. But the UAE leg of IPL 2021 has not been a happy run-scoring country for some of the biggest stars of cricket and AB de Villiers is one of them.
Kevin Pietersen: Experienced Senior AB de Villiers Won’t Want To See Virat Kohli And Glenn Maxwell Do The Bulk Of Scoring Runs
The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) stalwart has only managed scores of 0, 11, 14, and 4* in the four matches ever since the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League began at the UAE after a four-month postponement due to Covid-19 in India.
Former England captain Kevin Pietersen said AB de Villiers would not want to see captain Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell do the bulk of the scoring in every match. Kevin Pietersen, who has played a lot of cricket against AB de Villiers, said this is not the high standard that the former Proteas batsman sets for himself.
“He is an established player; he is a senior player. He would not want to see Kohli or Maxwell score the runs he is scoring. He must be thinking ‘I’m not holding my side of the bargain. This is just not the AB de Villiers that he is used to seeing,” Kevin Pietersen told Star Sports after RCB registered a comfortable 7-wicket win over Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday in Dubai.
Kevin Pietersen said it wouldn’t matter if the RCB batsman AB de Villiers scores three ducks in a row. The former South Africa captain would still warrant a place in the XI because of the things he has done in the past for RCB.
“He is a proud player; he is a fabulous player. We have seen that over a number of years. From his point of view, he would like to contribute. He would be hating the fact that he hasn’t been able to contribute. He has contributed so much to the world of cricket and in the IPL. If he gets three ducks in a row, it doesn’t matter. What he has done for the IPL and RCB is incredible. However, he would want to score,” Kevin Pietersen said.
AB de Villiers has scored 5083 runs in 180 matches in the IPL and is the only second overseas after David Warner to score more than 5000 runs in the league.
Virat Kohli: RCB Got The Rewards Of Middle Overs Bowling By Taking Wickets
RCB, meanwhile, will be happy with the form of their other big overseas recruit Glenn Maxwell. The Australian all-rounder struck another important fifty as RCB took a giant step towards confirming a spot in the playoffs.
“We’ve got the rewards because we’ve been fearless and confident in the moments that the game can go either way,” Kohli said at the post-match presentation ceremony.
“Couple of important things are clicking: middle-overs bowling is one. If you take wickets you can change the game. And batting also, we’ve got a few good opening starts. Devdutt and I have focused on giving the team good starts so that the middle-order with AB, Bharat and Maxwell can make more. Boys have stepped up, so that’s been key for us,” Kohli added.
An all-around bowling performance and Glenn Maxwell’s fifty were the highlights as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) beat Rajasthan Royals (RR) by seven wickets in Match 43 of the VIVO Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 in Dubai on Wednesday.
Rajasthan Royals were in sight of a tall total when they were 100 for 1 in 11 overs, on the back of Evin Lewis’ breakneck half-century. However, his dismissal triggered a terminal collapse as the Royals lost 8 for 49 – and their heads – to be restricted to under 150 on a fresh Dubai track.
They might have still hoped of a comeback when Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli fell either side of the powerplay, but KS Bharat and Glenn Maxwell forged a 69-run partnership to dash all hopes of RR’s win. Royal Challengers ultimately sealed victory with seven wickets and 17 balls to spare, also giving their net run-rate a leg-up.
Royal Challengers Bangalore 153 for 3 (Maxwell 50*, Bharat 44, Mustafizur 2-20) beat Rajasthan Royals 149 for 9 (Lewis 58, Jaiswal 31, Harshal 3-34, Shahbaz 2-10, Chahal 2-18) by seven wickets