"I don't give a damn about my 100th Test, I just want to win the game." This is exactly what Ab de Villiers said on the eve of the second Test match against India to be played at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore from Saturday.
Abraham Benjamin De Villiers is a name, which when heard by bowlers around the world, sends shivers down their spines even before they face him on the field.
He is like someone who has all the ingredients to become the best in business. In fact, he is the best Test batsmen in the world, accoring to the current ICC Test rankings.
Here are the statistics in the longest format of the game for Cricket Mr 360 degree (as he is popularly known as), as he walks out at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Saturday:
7,685 runs at an average of 51.93. So far, he has managed to score 21 centuries and 37 half-centuries in 99 Test matches.
This is not all! He has more records under his belt. He has successfully excelled in all the three formats of the game. De Villiers holds the record for the fastest century score in just 31 balls against West Indies at the Johannesburg Stadium earlier this year. He also broke the record of Sourav Ganguly by becoming the fastest batsmen to reach 8,000 runs in the 50-over format.
De Villiers is technically gifted and one of the best innovators in the game of cricket. He can smas any bowling attack with sheer brutality. Fans across the world have already seen his brilliance on the pitch with his willow.
"He's a superman in all formats of the game," South Africa Test skipper Hashim Amla heaped praise on De Villiers.
Superman is still an understatement as some might believe but he is someone that Indian fans love from the core. We remember the chants - 'AB, AB, AB, AB', at the Wankhede Stadium where he scored yet another ton in the fifth ODI against India few days ago. Indian cricket fans love him when he goes bonkers with his willow and crushes a bowling attack ruthlessly.
AB de Villiers is arguably one of the best athletes that the game of cricket have ever produced and we the fans would love to see him bat with the same grace against the Indian bowlers. An all-round prodigy who is worthy of being praised every second.
Congratulations AB de Villiers on your 100th Test match!
