In the world of superheroes, Superman and Batman are two of the greatest characters in the DC universe. Superman, an alien from planet Krypton, is an invincible being. His strength, speed, stamina, and endurance are unfathomable. On the other hand, Batman, a homo sapien like us, molded himself into a superbeing through years of dedicated training. A master of stealth, Batman has extraordinary intellect, reflexes and has mastered the art of deception. The Man of Steel, Superman, is in a league of his own; he is indestructible (unless you've got Kryptonite).
Born into one of the most ancient and advanced civilizations, Superman's incredible powers effectively make him a god. Among cricketers, the only player whose attributes come close to mimicking superhuman abilities is AB de Villiers. Like Superman, the South African One-Day International skipper is way ahead of his time. He continues to inspire and awe despite being the best in the business. The way a god can inspire devotion, his aura leaves the crowd spellbound, with chants of 'A-B-D, A-B-D' following his arrival at the crease. The way Superman thrashed his opponents, the opposition's bowling arsenal is rendered useless by de Villiers's 360-degree strokeplay.
De Villiers has scored 5,454 runs (20 hundreds) in his last 100 ODI innings at an average of 69.01.
De Villiers has smashed 58 sixes (in 20 matches) in 2015 - the most by a batsman in a calendar year. He broke Shahid Afridi's record of 48 sixes (37 matches) - one that stood for 13 years.
He has four ODI tons where he took less than 60 balls to reach the landmark - the most by a batsman in history.
His ton in Mumbai pushed his career strike rate beyond 100, making him only the 3rd player with 8,000+ ODI runs to achieve the feat.
When de Villiers bats, records tumble; nothing seems impossible. He has established his supremacy at the top of the batting chain by thwarting the sharpest of attacks with his blade, time and again. However, even the best can falter at times. So can Superman and so does de Villiers. But like Superman has Batman and the rest of the Justice League members to help him out, de Villiers too has a number of individuals who can bail the team out of trouble when he misfires.
Who is South Africa's Batman?
Like Batman saved Gotham time and again, du Plessis has rescued South Africa from the most trying circumstances.
With scores of 133*, 17, 60, 51 and 62, Faf du Plessis amassed 323 runs, averaging a little over 80 in the ODI series against India. Du Plessis had an outstanding series, but the limelight was taken away by de Villiers's three centuries. Yes, he didn't convert three of his fifties into a hundred, but the solidity he provided as a No.3 played a major role in South Africa's first ever bilateral ODI series win in India.
Like Batman saved Gotham time and again, du Plessis has rescued South Africa from the most trying of circumstances. Du Plessis, who announced himself to the world with a match-saving performance against Australia on Test debut, has now become South Africa's batting mainstay across all formats. Let's take a look at du Plessis's numbers and how they stack up against some of the best players from the current generation.
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