AB looks to Nadal for inspiration

Cape Town - When it comes to managing workload, Proteas skipper AB de Villiers takes inspiration from 14-time Grand Slam tennis champion Rafael Nadal.

De Villiers - as has been the case with Nadal - has been plagued with injuries over the past few years, which saw the South African suffering from elbow and back injuries.

De Villiers returned to action for the Proteas against Sri Lanka earlier this year, but opted out of representing the Proteas in Tests until he was fully fit.

Meanwhile in 2017, Nadal has reached the quarter-finals in Brisbane and the final of three tournaments - the Australian Open, Mexico Open and Miami Masters.

On Thursday, De Villiers addressed reporters at the launch of his new mobile application, AB17, in Bangalore and praised the tennis world No 5's work ethic.

"I haven't played a lot, but coming back against New Zealand I still played alright," said De Villiers, as quoted by the Times of India.

"It's not easy, but it's a great challenge to get away from the game and then to work hard and work your way back.

"I've found inspiration through a lot of athletes who have done that in the past. I think of (Rafa) Nadal. The way he's come back has inspired me a lot."

De Villiers believes that he still has a lot of cricket left and is enjoying the game more since his return to international cricket.

"I'm still motivated to play for as long as possible, and as long as that motivation is there mentally, nothing is going to stop me," said De Villiers.

"Preparing for games, (playing) the game itself, (spending) time with family - it's really important to get that balance right. It's something I probably haven't got right over the last 3-4 years.

"Therefore, I'm sitting with a couple of injuries. I am getting that balance now. I feel really happy. You can see in the park, I've got a smile on my face again, which might not have been clear in the last few years."

De Villiers is doubtful for the Royal Challenges Bangalore's next game as he is still recovering from a back injury he sustained in the domestic One Day Cup last month.

The Bangalore and Dehli Daredevils match gets underway on Saturday (16:30 SA time).