'He is an incredible player' - AB de Villiers impressed with Shikhar Dhawan's masterclass in RR vs PBKS clash

Former South African batter AB de Villiers heaped praise on Punjab Kings’ (PBKS) skipper Shikhar Dhawan's revitalizing batting performance against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL). The veteran Indian batter produced an unbeaten 86 in PBKS' second IPL 2023 match. The PBKS captain put up a 90-run opening stand with Prabhsimran Singh, which enabled his side to set RR a hefty 198-run target.

De Villiers, popularly known as Mr. 360, was impressed with Dhawan's batting and called him an incredible batter. He also praised Prabhsimran's game strategy and efforts in the game to set a massive total against RR. He scored 60 runs off 34 balls before being dismissed by Jason Holder.

"He is an incredible player. To get that inning together for the team. Let’s not forget about his partner up front. He took a bit of pressure off Shikhar so that he could play his own game, manipulate the ball, and took his game really until he found a sniff," De Villiers told JioCinema in a post-match discussion.

I have never seen Dhawan playing like this: De Villiers

In the 18th over, Shikar Dhawan smashed a reverse six off Jason Holder, prompting De Villiers to react. The South African stated that he had never seen Dhawan play like this before and it is certainly refreshing to see him this way.

"It started when the spinners came on in the middle-overs. The spinners took a pounding tonight. Look at him moving around, I have never seen him playing like this. It is refreshing and I think he has got a lot of runs in him this season," De Villiers said during the half-time show.

Talking about the match, Sanju Samson won the toss and opted to field first and Shikhar Dhawan and Co. posted 197 for four in 20 overs. In the chase, RR were restricted to 192 for seven, with Nathan Ellis claiming a four-wicket haul. PBKS will next face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium, Hyderabad on April 9.