Stupid to turn my back on IPL, says Royal Challengers Bangalore ace AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers said the Indian Premier League has helped him grow as a player and he saw the cash-rich T20 tournament as an important part of his career.
AB de Villiers has often complained of the workload in international cricket but South Africa's Test and ODI skipper is in no mood to take time off from the Indian Premier League, which is played in the peak of summer every year. (Suresh Raina wary of MS Dhoni in IPL 2016 )
De Villiers played with Delhi Daredvils for the first three editions of the IPL before the Royal Challengers Bangalore bought him in the 2011 auctions for a staggering USD 1.1 million. He has since formed a potent combination for the team with the likes of Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli. (Don't have preference for any particular IPL team: KP )
The 31-year-old has refuted rumours that he wanted to retire from Test cricket to ease his workload but he has stayed away from wicketkeeping duties after taking over as skipper in the longest format from Hashim Amla in the middle of the home series against England. But AB will continue to devote time to the IPL, like he has done for the last eight years.
"I'm still going to play in the IPL. It would be stupid of me to turn my back on that. It has played a big role in my career. It helped me grow as a player," De Villiers told a cricket website yesterday.
"I see IPL as a really important part of my career. So I'm not going to let that go. But there are some other areas that I'll look at to rest a little bit."
De Villiers, who holds the record for the fastest fifty, hundred and 150 in ODIs, has had miserable time in Test cricket lately. His poor form has coincided with South Africa's decline in the traditional format. During the 3-0 defeat in India, de Villiers scored only two fifties from seven innings and then followed that up with three successive ducks at home against England.
Soon after overseeing a consolation victory in the Centurion Test, de Villiers reiterated his desire to play in all formats.
"I'm very committed at the moment to be captain in the two formats and to play T20s as well. We've got a World Cup coming up and Im just taking it one game at a time."
South Africa have now lost five of their last eight Tests, drawn two and won only one. De Villiers, regarded in many circles as the best batsman in the word, will have his task cut out to help the Proteas salvage some pride as they take on England in a five-match one-day international series from today.