We have seen Ab de Villiers in sensational form in IPL 2020. Playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, AB has looked a class apart and batted at a strike rate of over 150 on slow surfaces. After his scintillating knock against KKR, the cricketing world was in awe of the batting genius.
As expected debates about De Villiers being the most complete and best batsman once again erupted. Former Netherlands skipper Peter Borren ranked him above all great contemporaries batsmen including Virat Kohli.
Peter Borren Rates Ab de Villiers ahead of Virat Kohli
Borren Tweeted, “The ‘big four’ chat you hear sometimes about Smith, Williamson, Kohli and Babar/root is funny because Ab de Villiers is better than all of them”.
The 'big four' chat you hear sometimes about Smith, Williamson, kohli and Babar/root is funny because Ab de Villiers is better than all of them.
— Peter Borren (@dutchiepdb) October 14, 2020
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Meanwhile, there’s no denying the class of De Villiers but the fact remains that he doesn’t play international cricket anymore. In 2018, De Villiers shocked everyone by announcing his retirement from the game when he was at the peak of his powers.
However, if we look at his overall records in all formats of the game it is truly legendary. In Tests, he has 8765 runs while averaging 50.66. On the other hand, in 228 ODIs he has amassed 9577 runs at 53.5 at a strike rate of over 101.1. Also, all his 25 hundred in ODIs came at a strike rate of over 100 which places him in a league of his own.
Even in IPL, his hunger for runs is unmatchable and he is certainly of the greatest batsman of all time. In 162 IPL matches, he has 4625 runs to his name at an average of over 40 and his strike rate is an astounding 152.4 including 3 hundred.
These are magical career numbers for Ab de Villiers and this is why he is hailed as the best across the world. However, the only batsman that can compete with AB across all formats is his RCB skipper Virat Kohli.
The 31-year-old is still the only batsman to average more than 50 across all formats. Also, he is only the second batsman after Ricky Ponting to be ranked number 1 in ICC rankings for a batsman in Tests, ODIs and T20Is.
Furthermore, opinions can vary for some De Villiers is the best and some say nobody comes close to Virat Kohli in all forms. But one thing is for sure that they both are legends of the game who have entertained and lit up stadiums all around the world.
Also Read: IPL 2020: Virat Kohli Reveals Reasons Why AB De Villiers Batted At No.6
