Former South African skipper AB de Villiers recently decided to hang his boots from international cricket and now he feels that the budding cricketers need to harsh calls to succeed at the international stage as there are always a lot of distractions which come their way.
Giving a crucial advice to the aspiring cricketers, De Villiers said, “There are a lot of distractions that any player must navigate in their career. It can feel like everyone wants a piece of you when you get closer to the top. When you enter the public stage, there is a lot of pressure on your shoulders to perform at the highest level every time. Any young player looking to succeed needs to make tough choices, work hard and always stay focused.”
Revealing his mantra in life, AB said, “To follow your dreams, to be honest, and to work hard at whatever you do. Whether you’re on the cricket pitch or at home: being true to yourself is the best.”
The former South Africa skipper’s retirement announcement from all forms of international cricket was a shocker to the cricketing world on May 23. He brought an abrupt end to his illustrious 14-year career, which saw him finish with a staggering 20,014 international runs (8,765 in Tests, 9,577 in ODIs and 1,672 in T20Is).
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ABD also played for the Royal Challengers Bangalore under the leadership of Virat Kohli at the concluding Indian Premier League (IPL). His skills as an intimidating batsman, skilled wicket-keeper, and superior fielder earned him a reputation of being one of the greatest cricketers of all time with some even tagging him as a gifted cricketer.
Talking on the same line, de Villiers said, “It’s flattering when people call you a game changer, but on any given day, any given player can change the course of a match either with the bat or ball. My career reached a crossroads in 2008 when I realized specifically that I needed to work on my defense to support my attacking game and, more generally, when I started to benefit from the support and guidance of a new management team.”
De Villiers is also the brand ambassador of the German manufacturer of luxury writing instruments Montblanc and was present at the regional launch of Meisterst�ck Le Petit Prince Special Edition Collection. He revealed the key elements for a batsman, he said, “There are two elements to bear in mind when you take guard – the first is the position of the fielders, so you can try to hit the ball into gaps, and the second is the place where you think the bowler is going to deliver the ball.”
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Talking about the mind game in cricket, ABD said, “Cricket in its most basic form is a battle between bowler and batsman, and it is always important to try and work out what the bowler will do next, to try and cut down his options by being creative at the crease and ultimately trying to dominate this struggle.”
Ab feels that a cricketer needs to go through those high-pressure moments of doubt, where the players get the chance to make a make a difference in order to be a better player.
