IPL 2020 | AB de Villiers played a masterclass, it's embarrassing for guys like us, states Aaron Finch
AB de Villiers' special helped RCB wrap up a rather easy win over KKR and Aaron Finch reckons that it was an absolute masterclass and is embarrassing for other batsmen. He also lauded the team environment at RCB citing how welcoming everyone has been, be it the owners, coaches or Kohli.
There are days when the genius of one batsman stands out and makes everyone look mediocre. That was the case in the KKR vs RCB clash as well, where on a slow wicket, AB de Villiers made 73 off 33 at strike-rate of 221.21, with next best strike-rate in the game being 160, with a country mile between ABD and the second best. Not only did the de Villiers-masterclass help RCB win the game but also improve their net run-rate, which had taken a beating after their horror show against Kings XI Punjab.
Speaking on IPLT20.com, RCB openers Aaron Finch and Devdutt Padikkal applauded the South African genius and echoed the sentiments of Dinesh Karthik as they also stated that ABD made the slow wicket look much easy than it was. In fact, Finch added that it becomes embarrassing for other batsmen when AB plays like that.
"We saw one of all time great IPL innings from AB de Villiers today. I have been on the receiving end in IPL and other times, but it was a masterclass from the Proteas batsman. The wicket was difficult, it got slow, no one was able to stand and hit through the line. He came with great intent and the way he batted, it's embarrassing for us as we grind for 30s and 40s, and he plays an amazing knock like that," Finch told Padikkal on iplt20.com.
Even Padikkal agreed with Finch and stated: "Some of the shots, he plays is absolutely phenomenal and you go like how does he play shots like these?."
Batting first, RCB got off to a great start thanks to Finch and Padikkal as they added 67 runs for the first wicket. Finch made 47 while the youngster made 32 and batted with a lot of intent. The left-hander asserted that the side needed a good base for others to prosper. He also heaped praises on AB de Villiers and Kohli for their 100-run-partnership.
"Yeah, it was important to get a good start, it's a small ground, but it was good that we started well and set up a base for the team to carry on. It's different playing in UAE but I am open to challenges of playing in UAE and it's great to learn from greats of the game including you. It was just amazing to see the partnership between AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli. They have made 3000 runs together, which is amazing, I think," Padikkal stated.
The RCB openers also reflected about the team environment with Finch revealing how welcoming everyone has been at the franchise.
"What I have loved about the franchise is how welcoming they are, be it the owners or Virat Kohli or the coach, every player makes everyone feel good."