It’s been ‘a long road’ to the IPL for Rassie van der Dussen

The 15th instalment of the Indian Premier League will be Rassie van der Dussen’s first, with the Proteas batsman being signed by the Rajasthan Royals, the team who won the first edition of the T20 tournament and have been the side the 33-year-old has supported since then.

Apart from the R2 million payday, Van der Dussen is delighted to now be able to mix it on the global stage with his international batting peers, having proven his worth with an average of 38 and a strike-rate of 130 in his 31 T20 innings for South Africa.

Rajasthan Royals, who beat the Chennai Super Kings by three wickets in the first IPL final in 2008, have the likes of Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Jos Buttler and Shimron Hetmyer on their roster.

Van der Dussen had just made his first-class debut for Northerns as an opening batsman when the first IPL was played. Just as that tournament has grown and evolved, so too has Van der Dussen’s game, such that he is now one of the most successful middle-order batsmen in the world of white-ball cricket.

“It feels pretty good to now be part of the IPL, but it’s been a long road to get there,” Van der Dussen said on Monday.

“It’s good to be acknowledged and it’s another opportunity to do what I do. I’ve always been a Rajasthan Royals fan since the early days, with Graeme Smith playing there.

“So I’m happy and honoured to be playing for a prestigious franchise like that. It’s an exciting prospect to be playing with several world-class players.”

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The Central Gauteng Lions star, egged on by the need to be adaptable in different situations batters face in the middle-order, feels he has the skills to do well in the IPL.

“My move from being an opener into the middle-order meant I had to adjust my game. I feel I have all the bases covered, I’ve shown I can adapt well in challenging conditions,” Van der Dussen said.

“I feel I’ve got the skills to adapt to all situations. I can hit sixes in South Africa where the ball comes on nicely; India is more challenging with spin, and it’s more about working the ball around and picking up the ones.

“But that’s what we’ve done lately with the Proteas, and I’ve managed to perform well in Paarl, where conditions are as similar to India as you’ll find anywhere outside of the subcontinent.

“I’ve shown I have the skills to adapt and execute in those conditions.”

Van der Dussen averages 80 in T20s in Paarl, having scored 240 runs in five innings, with two not outs.