3 Current Indian Bowlers AB de Villiers Dominated In His Prime

AB de Villiers is still a ridiculous beast, as he showed in the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025. The former South Africa batter has smashed a half-century and a century in the league with his century against the England Legends coming in just 41 balls. 

But it is not just now that de Villiers is a beast. During his playing days, he was even more lethal, especially against Indians bowlers. 

Here are the top three Indian bowlers against whom AB was a beast in the T20 format.

Mohammed Shami

Though de Villiers and Mohammed Shami were not up against each other a lot, whenever the Indian came to bowl, the South African made the most of it. ABD hit Shami for 59 runs in the 30 balls that he faced against him, striking at 196 and averaging 59, getting out just once in the T20 format.

Jasprit Bumrah

Bumrah might be the most feared bowler of the current generation with every batter naming him as the bowler that they would not like to face. But de Viliers had the better of Bumrah in the 13 innings that he faced him. The former Proteas man hit 125 runs against the Indian at a strike rate of 147, getting out just thrice.

Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya was the bowler that changed the game for India in the T20 World Cup 2024 with the wicket of Heinrich Klaasen in the final. He might have had the better of South Africa in that game, but against de Villiers, Pandya was just as average a bowler as one could get, leaking 88 runs in 39 balls. 

While de Villiers’ strike rate against Pandya was 225.6, the fact that he never got out to the Indian all-rounder in the T20 format, tells the true story of his domination.