By IANS,
New Delhi : Having led the Titans to the Pro20 title back home, South African A.B. De Villiers is ready to repeat the same with Delhi Daredevils in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket tournament.
The 24-year-old from Pretoria scored a match-winning 46 in the domestic Twenty20 title against the Dolphins and was also awarded the Man of the Match. This time also De Villiers hoped that he would continue the form for the Delhi team in the IPL.
“We played pretty well as a team (in the Pro20) and won the tournament there. I have been in fine form throughout the season and will look to continue that in IPL,” de Villiers told reporters in his first interaction with the media.
The South African will face his first test against the Bangalore Royal Challengers here Wednesday, which has some of his compatriots like Dale Steyn, Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher.
The Royal Challengers, despite the presence of some big names in their team, are going through a rough patch and have a solitary win from four outings. But De Villiers doesn’t want to take the Bangalore team lightly: “They have been under-performing. Their last few matches were close but they are a good side.”
“We have to play well to beat them. I know some of the players in the Royal Challengers like Dale Steyn, Kallis and Boucher. I think they are a very good side and unlucky not to win more matches in IPL.”
Daredevils cricket advisor T.A. Sekhar also felt that Wednesday’s match will be a good platform for his team, lying third in the points table, to consolidate its position after their first loss to Kings XI Punjab.
“Definitely this is the time, with the other teams getting weaker this is the time for us to consolidate and get some wins under our belt to reach the top of the table,” Sekhar said.
He also said with the presence of all overseas players, the team selection will be a headache for the management.
“This problem (choosing foreign players) is same for all the franchisees. I think we have to choose the best combination for the match. We cannot go by history or records but decide by combination that will win the match for us on a particular day,” Sekhar said.