Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman AB de Villiers has called his stunning catch to dismiss Alex Hales as ‘one of his most satisfying catches of his career’.

The 34-year-old had already lit up the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday evening with a blistering 69-run knock off 39 deliveries and later left cricket fans around the world in awe after defying a gravity act to remove Sunrisers Hyderabad opener Hales with a one-handed catch. RCB won the match by 14 runs with Sunrisers falling short of their 219-run target.

Writing in his column in Times of India, he said: “When Alex Hales struck the ball high and hard over mid-wicket during our match against SRH in Bengaluru, my first thought was ‘try and create a chance’. I needed to run hard, to make metres just to get a hand on the ball, before I could even think of taking a catch. So I picked my line and ran as hard as possible, keeping my eyes fixed on the ball, but it was soaring high, up high into the night sky.”

He added: “Something else was needed. A jump was needed, so I slowed down a little, creating space to use my arms to propel myself as far into the air as possible… so I jumped, and reached up and backwards and, somehow, the ball stuck in my outstretched right hand. The job wasn’t half done. As I came down, the ball slipped from my fingers and I only just managed to push it towards my stomach… and then to hold what must rate as one of the most satisfying catches of my career.”