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The conversation is still very open: Mark Boucher on AB de Villiers' international return

RCB batsman AB de Villiers showed some form during the opening match of the IPL 2021 between Bangalore and Mumbai Indians where he played a match-winning knock. 

Struggling at 106/5 while chasing 160, ABD took charge of the situation in his hands and scored 48 off just 27 deliveries. RCB eventually won the match by 2 wickets. 

There have been talks about the right-handed batsman’s return to the South African setup for the upcoming World T20 scheduled to take place in India later this year. Now coach Mark Boucher in an online press conference has talked about the progress of having ABD back in the side. 

"I chatted to him before he went over to the [Indian Premier League]. The conversation is still very open. AB being the person he is, he wanted to perform very well at the IPL to prove to himself and everyone else that he's still a key figure in world cricket and can dominate at that level. I said to him, 'You go do your thing and I'll give you a shout towards the end of the IPL and see where you are,” Boucher said. 

AB last played a T20I match for South Africa against Bangladesh in 2017 while hung his boots from the international cricket in 2018. "After 114 Tests, 228 ODIs, 78 T20Is. It is time for others to take over,” he said. 

Earlier, ABD had also offered to come out of retirement and play the 2019 World Cup for South Africa but didn’t really workout. According to an ESPNcricinfo report, de Villiers had approached Faf du Plessis and other members of the board expressing his desire to represent the country in the mega tournament. 

Though, the South Africa team management rejected the offer. "The decision was based on principle; we had to be fair to the team, the selection panel, our franchise system and players," Cricket South Africa's selection panel convener, Linda Zondi said in an official statement.



 

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IPL 2021: Yudhvir Charak recalls the moment when he was picked in the auction

Defending champions of IPL Mumbai Indians have always banked on their young players besides having a core group of Indian and international superstars. Over the years their scouting process has been quite exceptional which have helped them nourish some young names which have benefited Indian cricket in the long run. In the February Auctions, Mumbai Indians picked some young which included the 23-year-old bowling all-rounder Yudhvir Singh Charak. Hailing from Jammu and Kashmir, Yudhvir Charak plies his trade for Hyderabad in the domestic circuit. During a recent video posted by the Mumbai Indians on their official Twitter handle, Yudhvir Charak speaks about how life has changed after the IPL Auctions. He recalled the fact that all his family members saw the auction together and he knew his name would only come towards the latter half. When the Director of Cricket Operations of MI, Zaheer Khan bid for him, tears started rolling down his cheek as it was a huge moment for the youngster to get the opportunity to rub shoulders with some of the greats of the game. “I was watching the auction for a while. I knew if my name would come up it would come last, if not then so be it. I was sitting with all my family members watching…. And then when my name came up and when Zak sir raised the paddle tears started flowing down my eyes. I cannot express how unbelievable that feeling was. Playing for MI is a big deal for me and for my state as well. Lots of hope and aspirations are on my shoulders that I play matches and do well. Take our state Jammu and Kashmir to new heights” Charak said during the video interview. Meanwhile, team manager Rahul Sanghvi stated that MI are known to pick uncapped players in the auctions and it was no different this time around. Both Yudhvir Charak and Arjun Tendulkar was part of MI’s support bowlers in the previous IPL in UAE and for them to get an opportunity in the main team is indeed a big moment. Sanghvi further explained that the coaches felt that both Yudhvir and Arjun Tendulkar were ready to take the roles which they were thinking at and hence they picked both of them in the auction. Speaking on the same Charak said, “Last year also I was with the team. Then I was a support bowler and I got an opportunity to learn so much which eventually helped me in the improvement of my game in the next domestic season. So I am very happy that this time I am picked in the main team. Meanwhile, Director of Cricket Operations, Zaheer Khan also reiterated the fact that MI followed their tradition in picking Yudhvir Charak in the auctions. He further explained that Mumbai Indians has been a breeding ground for any young cricketers who have been part of the franchise and it should be no different with Charak. He wished them luck and also encouraged them to enjoy the atmosphere of the IPL. Speaking about his opportunity at the highest level, Yudhvir Charak expressed his excitement and said that this is just the start of his cricketing career at the highest level. “This is the start of my career, I mean at the high level. There are several great players in this team from whom I can learn a lot from. Coaches are really good here. Most of all I want to do well for my team. They have picked me for a reason so I want to perform the best for my team be it batting, bowling or fielding. So I want to perform to the best of my capabilities and learn from this team as much as possible because this is the best team in the IPL, they have been 5-time champions and so there will be a lot to learn from this experience,” Charak added.

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We want to be consistent and create a winning culture: AB de Villiers

The Royal Challengers Bangalore had a decent start to the IPL 2021 campaign after they won both the first two matches on the trot. In a video released by the franchise on their official social media handle, RCB’s mainstay AB de Villiers talks about batting combination, his advice to Virat Kohli during the England series and youngsters to watch out for in this edition. Kohli’s side etched victory in the first match riding on some fine batting from AB de Villiers against Mumbai Indians and then defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad after defending 149 in 20 overs. “There came a time when we as a batting unit felt something special and now the consistency and sustainability of that is important. If we do it three or four times we will start believing that,” he said. “You want to get into the winning culture and where you feel like if I don’t do it, he will do it. You get this beautiful flow going in the team,” he added. India skipper Kohli faced some problems initially while facing the England bowlers and subsequently the right-handed batsman had a chat with ABD about what to do. When asked about his conversation with Kohli, de Villiers said that he mentioned about four points and further asked the Indian mainstay to stick to the basics. “I have been watching him for quite a while, I was watching him for a few months looking like he was quite intense at the crease. So, I wasn’t really surprised when I got his message. I knew immediately all he needs to hear is the basic stuff,” the former South Africa captain said. RCB have a few youngsters in the side. Talking about Rajat Patidar, the right-handed batsman said that he is someone to watch out for this year. “Rajat made his debut the other night. I haven’t seen him play a big innings yet but I have watched him in the nets yesterday. He is a very promising talent, looks calm at the wicket and very good striker of the ball,” de Villiers said.