Waiting to hear from Boucher: De Villiers 'absolutely' ready to don South Africa jersey for T20 World Cup
Apr 18, 2021
Chennai (Tamil Nadu) [India], April 18 : AB de Villiers might have played his last game in the shortest format for South Africa in 2017 but the right-handed batsman is "absolutely" ready to be in the Proteas squad for this year's T20 World Cup slated to be played in India.
De Villiers' last while ball game for South Africa was in February 2018 while he last played a T20I for the Proteas in October 2017. And with the kind of form he is, the right-handed batsman wants to be in South Africa's squad for the World Cup.
"I haven't had a discussion with Bouchy (Mark Boucher) yet. We are lined up to have a chat somewhere during the IPL but yes we have been talking about it," said De Villiers during a virtual press conference after RCB's win on Sunday.
"Last year he asked me if I would be interested and I said absolutely. Coming into the IPL and looking at the form I am in and the fitness, also the situation, Boucher will looking to get the best 15 together," he further said.
"And if there is no space for me, then so be it but if I am in the squad it will be fantastic to see things fall in place. I am waiting to hear from Boucher towards the end of IPL and then I'll plan accordingly," the former South Africa batsman added.
Meanwhile, Glenn Maxwell and De Villiers' knocks of 78 and 76 backed up by a spirited bowling performance helped RCB defeated Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by 38 runs here at the MA Chidambaram Stadium on Sunday.
De Villiers said he doesn't mind playing at any position as all he wants is to contribute to RCB's win in the cash-rich league.
"I am not too worried about where I play, obviously, if you want to go out and win man of the tournament, win the orange cap and all that kind of stuff, you should be opening the batting but those kinds of things have never been important to me. I want to win games for my team," said De Villiers.
"My role has been communicated well in advance and I have prepared mentally. At the moment I am floating between five and six, depending on the conditions and I am very happy to bat anywhere RCB needs me," he added.
Earlier, RCB might have been 9/2 in the second over, but Maxwell and de Villiers' knocks of 78 and 76 ensured that the side posts a total of 204/4 in the allotted twenty overs.
Along with Maxwell and de Villiers, Devdutt Padikkal and Kyle Jamieson also played knocks of 25 and 11 respectively. For KKR, Varun Chakravarthy returned with two wickets.
The Virat Kohli-led side has now won all their three games in the ongoing tournament and this is RCB's best-ever start to the IPL.