De Villiers takes tips from unlikely source

AB de Villiers has revealed how some off-season work with South Africa rookie Heinrich Klaasen has reminded him of some crucial key elements to his batting.

Against Delhi last Saturday night, de Villiers made a match-winning 90no from just 39 balls to lift Royal Challengers Bangalore to a crucial victory, while the Proteas veteran also top-scored with 57 in the franchise's only other win to date.

The 33-year-old, who is seventh on the IPL runs list with 212 at 53, spent some valuable practice time with compatriot Klaasen, who debuted for South Africa in the shorter formats in February and was picked up by Rajasthan Royals for this year's tournament.

"I worked with Klaasen in the off-season and took some tips from him," he told Sportsarlive.com. "I watched him score hundreds and saw how still he was at the crease.

"I've tried to use that tip with my batting.

"Even after playing international cricket for 14 years, you sometimes forget the basics. My game is based on 5-10 very basic principles of the game.

"Sometimes, when you're not scoring, you have to try and remember the basics again."

De Villiers also praised the captaincy of RCB captain Virat Kohli, who he believes has shown outstanding leadership qualities at the helm of the IPL side this season.

Despite boasting the likes of Kohli and de Villiers, RCB are currently in sixth spot on the ladder, with two wins from five outings, though victory Wednesday night over high-flying Chennai could see them climb into the top three.

Despite Bangalore's indifferent start to the tournament, Kohli has been in excellent touch, hammering 231 runs at 57 to be the third-highest run-scorer.

"The true judge of a good captain is when you don't perform well and still do a good job while leading a side," de Villiers said.

"(Kohli) has come through with flying colours when it comes to that. He has been a fantastic captain for us."

The team's superstar duo have been Bangalore's top performers though de Villiers refuted suggestions they felt under extra pressure.

"It is normal to feel pressure because we are international players," he said. "However, I don't feel extra pressure, I don't think Virat feels it either.

"We have a team of match-winners and it is up to us to share the load."

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