AB De Villiers Sends Big Message To India Batters After Bitter Defeat Against South Africa
India suffered a Test series loss against South Africa© AFP
Former South Africa cricket team star AB De Villiers came in support of Indian batters following their series defeat against South Africa. India lost both Tests with the second one ending in a 408-run defeat at Barsapara Stadium in Guwahati. In the first Test, India failed to post 200-plus scores in both innings and even in the second Test, they could only manage 201 in the first innings. While India batters have faced a lot of criticism for their struggles against spin bowling, De Villiers believes that there is a lot of talent in the Indian cricket team and they have nothing to worry about.
“I know it’s painful now, but when I look at the setup of Indian cricket in all formats, I don’t think there’s much to worry about. They might have to find their identity a little bit, because there have been a lot of changes of late. I expect to see that kind of fight on the field. I don’t think there’s any need for panic. They’ve got lots of talent, plenty of options, and different combinations they can use moving forward,” said De Villiers on Ravichandran Ashwin’s YouTube channel.
“It will be refreshing for them to go into the ODI and T20I series now, as I think things will be a lot harder for South Africa there, but there’s no need to panic yet. Obviously, this will hurt for a while—and so it should—but it doesn’t mean it’s the end of the road. There’s plenty of talent in Indian cricket,” he added.
De Villiers pointed out that over the years, Indian batters have been brilliant in dealing with spin before adding that it is likely that the cricketers need to work on their mental approach.
“I don’t think it’s technical. Indian players have always been the best players against spin. I don’t think that all of a sudden they have to reverse sweep or sweep to prove they are still the best. You don’t have to change much. It’s more about belief and a bit of self-confidence. I think it’s a mental approach more than anything else,” said De Villiers.
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