AB de Villiers: To be in the final means a lot as I have not played in many
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AB de Villiers, who hit a match-winning knock of 79 against the Gujarat Lions, spoke on how reaching the IPL final was a privilege and an honour. The South African superstar has had very few finals to play, with the latest heartbreak coming in the 2015 World Cup semi-final against New Zealand.
"To be in the IPL final means a lot to me as I have not played in a lot of finals in my career. It is a great honour and privilege to be in the finals with this great franchise, which has looked after me and the team over the years," said de Villiers at the post-match press conference.
"Lot of people were saying we were under performing, but moments like these make things worthwhile. We had great team spirit for some years now, and have played some good cricket. But never got to really enjoy the finals and hopefully we will win it but we don't know what's going to happen," he added.
AB has accumulated runs for fun, in what has been his best IPL season to date, but Mr. 360 said he is unconcerned about statistics and numbers as long as the team wins.
"I always said it. I honestly don't give a damn about any stats. I don't think anything about my hundreds or fifties. It was special for me to cross the line for the team and win a game. That is why I play this game," he said.
For a change, the Chinnaswamy wicket was not entirely batting-friendly and ABD thought they were chasing an almost par score, and partnerships were key once they lost those early wickets.
"Yes, it was funny kind of a wicket. While we were bowling, I thought anything above 160 we will be in trouble. The wicket didn't seem like a wicket we can go and score out there," he said.
"I always felt I needed a partnership and a foundation in the first six overs to see the team through.”
De Villiers also revealed how he didn’t pay much heed to the instructions before the chase, and chose to bat instinctively.
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"It is a funny thing. Virat and I actually spoke about it before our batting. He was full of energy, giving full information and I told him Virat, I will just go naturally about it. I don't think too much and, he is a thinker. I am not a big thinker. I will try and assess what is going on and don't think about it too much and I am never 100 per cent sure," said the 32-year old.
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