AB de Villiers was convinced that Rilee Rossouw smashed a 196m six against Punjab Kings (Sportzpics)
AB de Villiers speculated that Rilee Rossouw smashed a ‘196m’ six against Punjab Kings during the IPL 2023 match on Wednesday
Rilee Rossouw smashed his maiden half-century to propel Delhi Capitals to victory against Punjab Kings on Wednesday. Rossouw’s dazzling display of power hitting impressed to finish with 82 runs off just 37 balls has generated tremendous buzz on Twitter.
Now, former South Africa skipper and IPL legend AB de Villiers has reacted to Rossouw’s whirlwind knock. De Villiers, who has captained South Africa in all three formats, tweeted and expressed his admiration for one of the sixes hit by Rossouw.
He wrote, “That 6 from Rilee Rossouw was definitely not 96m!”
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That 6 from Rilee Rossouw was definitely not 96m!— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) May 17, 2023
In a subsequent tweet, De Villiers contended that his compatriot’s shot was a 196-meter six.
AB de Villiers’ tweet has gained traction on Twitter with close to one million views on the microblogging site. Fans have praised Rossouw’s knock under his tweet. Some die-hard De Villiers fans also expressed their love for the former Royal Challengers Bangalore player.
One fan wrote, “Come to Bengaluru to watch RCB vs GT match.”
Come to bangluru to watch rcb vs gt match 🥹— K G F ANALYST (@Harishk35475367) May 17, 2023
Another fan tweeted, “Miss You Legend.”
Miss You Legend..🥹🥺— 𝑮𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒔𝒉𝒚𝒂𝒎_007 (@KingKohli18007) May 17, 2023
“Atleast please come back as head coach bro,” read one tweet.
Atleast Please come as head coach bro— 🅟🅐V🅐🅝 (@Pavantr_) May 17, 2023
After Shikhar Dhawan won the toss and elected to field, Delhi Capitals’ openers made a cautious start. Delhi skipper David Warner and Prithvi Shaw played out a few deliveries before settling in. Warner then broke the shackles with consecutive fours off Sam Curran. Delhi’s opening duo stitched together a 94-run partnership, which is their highest opening stand of the tournament this season.
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After Warner’s dismissal, Delhi’s team management promoted Rilee Rossouw up the batting order. The move proved to be a masterstroke as the big-hitting South African blunted Punjab’s formidable bowling attack. Rossouw smashed the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Sam Curran and Rahul Chahar all over the park.
Delhi eventually posted 213 runs on the board. Chasing a daunting total, Punjab had the worst possible start as their skipper Shikhar Dhawan departed in the second over itself. After Prabhsimran Singh was dismissed in the seventh over, Liam Livingstone walked out and threatened to take the game away from Delhi. Although Livingstone played a remarkable knock of 94 off 48 balls, he failed to get much support from any other batter and Punjab went on to lose the match by 15 runs. This defeat has severely dented Punjab’s playoff chances.