‘Unreal knock!’ – AB de Villiers lavishes massive praise on Heinrich Klaassen’s scintillating ton against RCB

Former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter, AB de Villiers, was left amazed by the scintillating 49-ball ton by Sunrisers Hyderabad’s (SRH) Heinrich Klaasen. The knock came against RCB in the first innings at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad, on Thursday, May 18.

Opting to field first, RCB got the early breakthroughs, as Michael Bracewell sent SRH’s opening duo of Abhishek Sharma and Rahul Tripathi packing in the same over for 28 runs. However, Klaassen came in at no. 4 and carved out a blistering knock, as he injected energy into the innings by hammering the boundaries and maximum.

The batter cracked his century off mere 49 balls which featured six sixes and eight fours. Amazed by his masterclass, de Villiers took to his social media handle to lavish massive praise on his compatriot, calling him a ‘special player’. Furthermore, he also called the century the best one in the ongoing edition and also one of the best in the IPL history to date.

“Heinrich Klaassen is a super special player! One of the best players of spin I’ve ever seen,” de Villiers tweeted.

“Unreal knock! What a player. Top 5 best 100’s of the IPL, best this season,” he added. 

Moreover, the former RCB explosive hitter acknowledged pacer Harshal Patel’s sportsmanship, after the latter was seen ‘clapping’ following Klaassen’s impressive ton.

“Absolutely love Harshal Patel’s sportsmanship there. That’s what the game is all about! Giving Klaassen a clap to say well played,” de Villiers tweeted.

Harshal Patel put an end to Heinrich Klaasen’s run carnage

Following his impressive ton, Harshal drew curtains on his innings as Klaasen headed for the pavilion, having notched up 104 off 51 balls at a jaw-dropping strike rate of 203.92. In addition to this, his knock propelled the orange outfit to register a competitive 186 runs for the first innings. Meanwhile, Bracewell got two scalps whereas Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, and Mohammed Siraj got one wicket apiece to wrap up the innings.

Courtesy of Klaasen’s magnificent century, the Sunrisers Hyderabad have posted a huge total of 186/5 on the board. In reply, the Royal Challengers Bangalore started well with openers, skipper Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli in the middle cruising well so far in the run chase. Currently, RCB are 27/0 after the completion of three overs.