Sanjay Manjrekar took to Twitter and wrote if there is any adjective ‘better than genius’ then that should be reserved for AB de Villiers after former South African great led RCB to a thrilling two-wicket win against MI in IPL 2021 match No.1 in Chennai.
Former India batsman and now a renowned commentator, Sanjay Manjrekar reserved praise of the highest order for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batsman AB de Villiers after he rolled back the clock to score a masterful 48, helping RCB chase down the 160-run target set by defending champions Mumbai Indians to start their IPL 2021 campaign on a winning note.
Sanjay Manjrekar: AB De Villiers Is Better Than Genius
AB De Villiers, who scored 48 off 27 balls with two sixes and four fours, was run out in the last over with RCB needing 2 off 2 balls but all-rounder Harshal Patel showed nerves of steel to hit the winning runs off the last ball of MI pacer Marco Jansen to seal the victory for the Virat Kohli-led side.
Sanjay Manjrekar believes that if a word is better than genius, it describes the former South African captain.
Sanjay Manjrekar said if there is any adjective better than ‘genius’ then that should be reserved for AB de Villiers.
“English not my strong suit. What’s the adjective for ‘better than genius’? That’s what AB is! Really!” Sanjay Manjrekar tweeted after AB’s heroics with the bat on Friday in Chennai.
English not my strong suit. What’s the adjective for ‘better than genius’?
That’s what AB is! Really! ????#RCBvsMI— Sanjay Manjrekar (@sanjaymanjrekar) April 9, 2021
AB De Villiers, who changed the script in a space of two overs by attacking the two MI spinners Rahul Chahar (0/43) and Krunal Pandya (1/25).
AB De Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, And Virat Kohli Guides RCB To A Thrilling 2 Wicket Win Over Defending Champions MI
His attack prompted Rohit Sharma to finish his best bowler Jasprit Bumrah’s spell (2/26 in 4 overs) before the final over, from which seven runs were required. RCB was in control when Glenn Maxwell (39 off 28 balls) came in and upset leg-spinner Rahul Chahar’s line with a reverse-pull boundary. He repeated the shot off the same bowler for a six and got another maximum off Krunal Pandya over long-on.
Skipper Virat Kohli (33 off 29 balls), who had launched into an experienced Marco Jansen in his first over, got a bit bogged down as the innings progressed. However, Glenn Maxwell’s attack meant that Virat Kohli could take his time.
It was MI’s strike bowler Jasprit Bumrah, who came back for his second spell and removed the Indian captain with an angular delivery as the RCB skipper was given out lbw.
If that wasn’t enough, Marco Jansen, the 6 feet 8-inch youngster, bowled a short bouncer that ended Glenn Maxwell’s potentially dangerous innings as he disappointed once again after looking set for a big score.
After Marco Jansen removed Shahbaz Ahmed, AB de Villiers announced his arrival after a long time as he had quit international cricket with a six and a boundary off Rahul Chahar. Earlier, Man of the Match Harshal Patel bowled a great last over to finish with 5/27 which kept the Mumbai Indians total under check (159/5).
He picked up three wickets in his final over for a run and also became the first bowler to pick up a five-wicket haul against Mumbai Indians. Chris Lynn was the top scorer for Mumbai scoring 49 off 35 balls including 4 fours and 3 sixes. But AB De Villiers’ 48 saw his efforts to go in vain.
15 runs came in the 18th over and 12 runs in the 19th over which eased RCB’s pressure after a good 17th over which saw only 5 runs off Jasprit Bumrah. Rahul Chahar conceded 15 runs in the 16th over after only 11 runs overall came in the previous 3 overs.