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IPL 2020: AB de Villiers praises this ‘very talented’ young player in Virat Kohli-led RCB squad

Is there another 'Mr. 360' in RCB squad? Here is AB de Vililers talking about this youngster who has a 'lot of similarities' with him. Do watch out for him in IPL 2020

ipl 2020 ab de villiers praises very talented youngster in virat kohli rcb squad apc
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Dubai - United Arab Emirates, First Published Sep 16, 2020, 10:54 AM IST

Dubai: Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) star batsman AB de Villiers has spoken about a youngster in their side who has “all the shots in the book” and reminds him of his younger days.

The South African said he sees a lot of similarities between this player and him when he was a youngster.

IPL 2020 full schedule

De Villiers has spoken highly of Australia’s wicketkeeper-batsman Josh Philippe, who was bought for Rs 20 lakh by RCB in the players’ auction in December 2019.

ipl 2020 ab de villiers praises very talented youngster in virat kohli rcb squad apc

The 23-year-old Philippe impressed for Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League (BBL) 2019-2020 season with three fifties in four innings. He scored a 29-ball 52 in the final against Melbourne Stars as the Sixers won the title. He was named the Man-of-the-final for his superb knock.

In a video posted on RCB’s official Twitter handle on Wednesday (September 16), De Villiers said he is excited to watch Philippe.

ipl 2020 ab de villiers praises very talented youngster in virat kohli rcb squad apc

“We are going to have some world-beaters in this edition, we will have (Aaron) Finch, Moeen Ali, Adam Zampa and Josh Philippe. I am looking forward to connecting with Josh, I see a lot of similarities between the way he plays when I was younger, also a wicketkeeper-batsman. The four guys joining us will add to what we have created here and that is a very special team environment,” the former South African captain said.

ipl 2020 ab de villiers praises very talented youngster in virat kohli rcb squad apc

“I am excited about Josh, I watched him play for the Sydney Sixers in the BBL, he takes the new ball on, he is a very talented player with all the shots in the book. And he is very young. I have heard Adam Gilchrist say really some good things about him as well. As a 36-year-old who has played international cricket for ages, I want to give back what I have learnt over the years, if he is open to learn. I can’t wait to work with him,” he added.

ipl 2020 ab de villiers praises very talented youngster in virat kohli rcb squad apc

Talking about the hot and humid conditions in the UAE, De Villiers said, “I am not really used to these kinds of conditions, to be honest, it is very hot, it reminds of me a Test match we played in Chennai where Viru (Virender Sehwag) scored 300, that’s the hottest conditions I have ever played in. The humidity is similar to that, when I arrived here, I immediately went on to Google to check the weather conditions for the next two months here in UAE. It seems to be getting better, I can already feel that it is better right now. It is important to have energy and the weather will definitely have a part.”

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