"I was unbelievably happy. I was quite nervous, I haven't been in this position for a while and it means the world to me. I've been through quite a lot getting to this moment and I've worked very hard, so I feel very chuffed," said the 34-year-old. De Villiers took almost two years out of the test arena to concentrate on the shorter formats of the game and spend more time with his young family but came back in December. Yet there was no fairytale return either against Zimbabwe in the one-off Boxing Day test or India in January and only on Sunday did he reach the milestone of a century for the first time in 13 tests. "It's a relief at the moment it happens and then it starts to sink in a few hours afterwards, sometimes only days afterwards," he said. De Villiers, who averages over 50 in his 112 test appearances, said he had learned much since his debut as a 20-year-old against England at the end of 2004.#CSAnews @ABdeVilliers17 century inspires tail as Proteas move into commanding position https://t.co/CiijOhDQ68 #ProteaFire #SAvAUS #SunfoilTest pic.twitter.com/LOxY9siqQD
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) March 11, 2018
"I was a lot more fearless when I was younger. The big difference from then to now is that I think I'm a lot smarter," he said. "I understand what makes me good when I'm playing well and what I need to get into that zone. More often than not, I try to generate a lot of energy and go into an overdrive of intensity. "There are a couple of basics that I rediscovered in the nets leading up to this series, like making sure I give myself the best opportunity to see the ball coming out of the bowler's hand and be still in the crease. "Tiny little things that like have helped."How good is he?! @ABdeVilliers17#ProteaFire #SAvAUS #SunfoilTest pic.twitter.com/eQfhBpHnTM
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) March 11, 2018
STUMPS, Day 3: AUS 180/5 and lead by 41. M Marsh 39*, Paine 5*, Khawaja 75. Rabada 3/38, De Villiers 126*. #ProteaFire #SAvAUS #SunfoilTest pic.twitter.com/CtY3lyqgcU
— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) March 11, 2018