Picture Credit: IPL/BCCI
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) wicketkeeper-batter AB de Villiers has said that for an old man like him, it is very important to stay fresh as much as possible for the coming IPL season resumption. Post completing his quarantine in UAE and spending a bit of time at the nets, he said that the pitch was a little sticky which was making it tough to play the big shots in his first practice session.
In a video posted by the franchise on social media, the 37-year-old South African can be seen trying to hit the ball to all parts of the ground.
"It was very good. The wicket was a bit sticky so it was quite tough actually. Bowlers bowled very well and it's humid here, we are gonna sweat a lot which is good for losing a bit of weight but for an old man like me, I need to stay fresh as much as I can," he said in the video.
"It was a great session and was nice to see everyone out there. All the guys are looking very eager to get going. I am looking forward to tomorrow's warm-up game," he added.
Nice to hear all the stories and what they got up to in the last couple of months: ABD
The former Proteas captain felt nice about reuniting with his RCB teammates after the first half of IPL 2021 came to an abrupt end in May due to the COVID-19 cases in India. In view of the same, the tournament has been moved out of India and will be staged across three venues in UAE- Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.
"Absolutely, I have missed the guys. I have caught up with a couple of individuals and I will get to meet up with the older guys over the next few days. I have covered a couple of guys tonight and it's nice to hear all the stories and what they got up to in the last couple of months. There's some interesting stuff that has happened and, it's great to be together as a team again," De Villiers said.
While Dubai is set to host the curtain-raiser to the second half of IPL with Mumbai Indians taking on the Chennai Super Kings on September 19, the action will shift to Abu Dhabi on September 20 when RCB will be up against the Kolkata Knight Riders.