AB de Villiers: “I feel like I am in the best form of my life right now”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

South Africa batsman AB de Villiers sent an ominous warning to all the other cricketing nations, saying he is “in the best form of my life right now”.

De Villiers has been in superb form in the ongoing Test series against India as he has scored 200 runs, which includes two half-centuries, at an average of 50.

Given that De Villiers has been in red-hot form since making his Test comeback in the inaugural four-day Test against Zimbabwe on Boxing Day, the 33-year-old is “happy where I am at”.

“I feel like I am in the best form of my life right now,” De Villiers was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au. “I have touched on it earlier, that I am never guaranteed results, never guaranteed five hundreds in a row. I could get five ducks in a row but I am happy where I am at.

“I am playing well and I am doing my preparation well and I am meeting the ball well, it is just up to the day to take care of itself.

“So I don’t think like that and I feel at the best phase of my life right now.”

Prior to making his Test return, De Villiers had not featured in the longest format since January 2016 due to injuries and a self-imposed break.

Many though that the Pretoria native would retire from the longest format in order to focus on limited overs cricket and prolong his career, but De Villiers insisted that he is pleased to be playing Test cricket.

“I am feeling in a good space and the energy is good and my body is feeling right at the moment,” he said. “I do have niggles but that is part of Test cricket. You never get up feeling a hundred per cent.

“The back is still there, the ankles and knees, everything is hurting at times but to be playing the ultimate form of the game again, it has been a great challenge.”

Meanwhile, De Villiers also revealed that since he, Hashim Amla and Dean Elgar have all captained the Proteas in the past, they offer their advice to current skipper Faf du Plessis as they are eager to take the team back to the summit of the rankings.

“There is a great group of senior players at the moment,” De Villiers said. “Guys who have the good hearts and the right intentions to take this team to higher levels and to newer grounds.

“Faf has been leading the side well, there is confidence as well, and it is easy to fit in as the senior player because I was captain not long ago and I know what the captain needs from his senior players.

“The kind of energy you need and the kind of advice you need at times and also sometimes also to get out of the captain’s space.

“I understand that’s natural and understand all of us have been leaders in the past and I think we really work together well as a team.”

South Africa currently hold an unassailable 2-0 lead over India and will be looking to complete a 3-0 series whitewash in the third Test in Johannesburg, which begins on January 24.