Former South African batsman AB de Villiers has revealed how he managed to hit a brilliant one-handed six off a high full toss from Mohammed Shami during the 2019 edition of the Indian Premier League. AB De Villiers candidly admitted that he did not know how he delivered the stroke, adding that he only wanted to ensure that the ball did not hit his body as it could have caused serious injury.
Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Kings XI Punjab by 17 runs in Match No. 42 of the Indian Premier League 2019 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. RCB scored 202/4 while batting first and AB De Villiers played a brilliant inning of 82* off 44 balls. In the 19th over of the innings, the Proteas legend hit Shami for three consecutive sixes, one of which came off an awkwardly high full toss.
In a Q&A session on his YouTube channel, de Villiers was asked how he perfected that particular stroke. He replied:
“I very clearly remember that cleared the stadium and went into Cubbon Park. It’s crazy because it was one of the biggest sixes I have hit in my life. It was actually just a reaction. I literally tried to stop the ball from not hitting me. It was heading into a dangerous area around the throat. That could have been very painful if I had missed that. My mind just told me, whatever you do, make sure the ball hits the bat and not your body.
AB De Villiers hit three fours and seven sixes in his brilliant knock, while Parthiv Patel made 43 runs in 24 balls and Marcus Stoinis made 46 runs in 34 balls and also made useful contributions.
Also Read: Most Wickets And Most Runs: Smriti Mandhana And Georgia Adams Lead The Way – Updated After Match 23
“I’ll Give Him The Benefit Of The Doubt” – AB De Villiers Asked If Mohammed Shami Bowled The High Full Toss Intentionally
“I can’t tell you why it went so far. Shami is quite fast, bowls around 140 kph. I don’t know if it was on purpose or not. I know Shami quite well. I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. I was really happy with that six. It was a very enjoyable knock.
