IPL 2021: Yuvraj Singh baffled with AB de Villiers batting at number 5 against Mumbai Indians in season opener


IPL 2021: Yuvraj Singh baffled with AB de Villiers batting at number 5 against Mumbai Indians in season opener

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) made a perfect start to their campaign in the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). The Virat Kohli-led side beat defending champions Mumbai Indians by two wickets in a nail-biter season opener at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.

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RCB’s ace batsman AB de Villiers once again came to their rescue after clinching the win from the jaws of defeat for his side. The flamboyant South African came to bat at number five during the run chase. Meanwhile, former India cricketer Yuvraj Singh was shocked to see him bat at this position as he felt de Villiers must come a bit higher in the batting order.

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Yuvraj took to Twitter and wrote, “Don’t understand @ABdeVilliers17 batting at no 5 !!? our best batsmen after opening have to come at no 3 or no 4 in t20 just an opinion.”

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Virat Kohli explains why ABD batted at five against MI

AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli MI vs RCB
Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers

RCB skipper Virat Kohli talked about Ab de Villiers’ batting position during the post-match presentation ceremony. He said that their side has got the depth which they want to utilize in this season. Kohli added that ABD is one of the most versatile players who can adjust at various batting slots. 

Kohli also mentioned why Glenn Maxwell batted (at four) higher than de Villiers. He revealed that the team management wanted to give Maxwell some balls at the start and not get him slogging right away.

“The opposition gets nervous about AB. We have depth in the batting which we want to utilise. AB is probably the only player who’s so versatile and can do what he did on slow pitches today, so we have to understand. If there’s a partnership on, you might see a totally different order. But in a tricky chase, you want some options in the back end, where the opposition thinks it’s not over till he gets out,” Kohli stated.

“The thinking was that we wanted to give Maxi some balls at the start and not get him slogging right away. You saw the result today of him playing 10-15 balls. His inning was the game-changer. Had he stayed in we would’ve finished a couple of overs earlier,” he added.

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