Why ABD's Retirement Came At The Wrong Time

#4 Form

ABD has been in the form of his life from the beginning of 2018

ABD was in rich vein of form, maybe the best in his life, coming into IPL 2018. He took it a whole level up with his game during the last seven weeks, hitting 480 runs with a half-century once in every two times he graced the middle- if that does not speak enough about consistency, I don't think anything else will.

Adding to that, there is the manner in which he scores the runs- elegance oozing out of even the toughest and most unorthodox shots amalgamated with an impeccable timing that is almost superhuman. He is not someone who knows only to go hammers and tongs (like a certain Chris Gayle or a vintage Virender Sehwag). He has proved that time and again with the numerous damage-control innings which also often finished at a 100+ strike rate, owing to his innate ability to seamlessly shift gears during the knock.

In tests, he could bat with a strike rate of under 20 to save a match with the same ease as playing a counter-attacking inning as good as one from the modern master of the art, Adam Gilchrist. It is no wonder why the latter had once remarked that ABD is the most valuable limited-overs player in world cricket.