You have to be special, maybe I would have never played for India if I was an Indian: AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers said it would have been difficult for him to play for India if he was an Indian.
Legendary South Africa batter AB de Villiers believes he might not have made it big in cricket if he was born in India and not his own country. One of the best batters of the modern-day era, De Villiers is often referred to as 'Mr. 360' for his ability to play shots across all parts of the ground.
He is one of the most loved overseas cricketers in India and enjoys a staggering fan base in the country. Apart from his heroics in international cricket for South Africa, De Villiers also entertained the fans with his dazzling performances for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) franchise in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
An RCB legend, De Villiers is one of the best batters to have graced the IPL and produced several match-winning performances for his team. He has received immense love from India and Indian fans. De Villiers recently opened on his love for India while speaking on the RCB podcast and said it would have been interesting to grow up in the country.
De Villiers, an accomplished cricketer and one of the greats of the game, also went on to claim that he might have found it difficult to make the cut in the Indian team due to the sheer amount of talent and the intense competition for spots in the Indian cricket team. De Villiers said only special players manage to play for a team like India.
"I have had the privilege of experiencing IPL Cricket, the Indian crowd, and the Indian way of doing things for the last 15 years. Obviously growing up in India would have been interesting. Maybe I would have never played for India, who knows. It is tough to make it to the Indian team; you have to be a special player," De Villiers said on the RCB podcast.
De Villiers, who announced his retirement from all forms of cricket after the conclusion of IPL 2021 last year,played114 Tests, 228 ODIs and 78 T20Is in an illustrious international career, amassing 8765, 9517 and 1672 runs in the three formats respectively.He is the sixth-highest run-getter in IPL history with 5162 runs from 184 matches.
De Villiers also opened up on his journey with RCB in the podcast and said it has been a 'life-changing' experience for him. Despite him not being able to win a single IPL title at the franchise, De Villiers said he looks back to his stint with the team without any regrets.
“RCB to me is family. I mean it has been a life-changing 10-11 years to me. Like any other family, there are ups and downs. There are beautiful, there’re amazing rides, there's a bit of everything. There are good relationships and then there are those which go sour and that is all part of the fun. I look back with no regrets. I think back on my career at RCB as the most amazing years of my life," said DeVilliers.