5 Greatest Test Innings by AB de Villiers

43 against India at Delhi (Dec 2015)

The pitch was a typical Indian rank turner and India piled up 334 runs in the first innings courtesy an Ajinkya Rahane century. South Africa was put into instant misery by the Indian bowlers as they started to fall apart like a pack of cards and had no answer to Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja's off-spin. AB de Villiers top-scored with 42 in an innings that lasted all of 49.3 overs and yielded 121 runs.

With a potentially match-winning lead of 213 runs, India added a further 267 as Ajinkya Rahane notched up his second hundred of the match and the target for the Proteas in the 4th innings was a monumental 481 runs in a little under 5 sessions on a deteriorating pitch.

Dean Elgar went cheaply without offering any resistance. Bavuma and Hashim Amla resisted for close to 40 overs before Ashwin castled Bavuma with an outstanding delivery. Entered ABD and the man, whom the world had seen whiplashing fast bowlers over the slip cordon in limited overs cricket, just blocked everything with such an astute defence that had rarely been witnessed.

ABD set out on a 6-hour marathon spanning across 297 balls as he set firm to end the match in a draw. Amla and du Plessis also followed suit by consuming almost 60 overs between them but it was once again ABD standing between India and the Proteas.

It took a gem of a delivery and a sharp catch to end a vigil that lasted 297 deliveries and he walked off to a standing ovation. India required 18 balls thereafter to wrap up the match but this innings of ABD was pure magic - a complete antithesis to his 31-ball hundred.