IPL 2023: RCB icon AB de Villiers reveals what he misses most about Bengaluru; talks about 'brother' Kohli
AB de Villiers, who joined Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2011, played 11 seasons wearing jersey No.17 and scored 4491 runs in a total of 156 matches.
FollowSouth African great AB de Villiers has enthralled cricket fans worldwide with his 360-degree batting prowess, and supporters of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore, in particular, would be missing their star player, who retired from all formats of the game in November 2021.
RCB retired the jersey numbers worn by two legendary players, AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle, i.e. No. 17 and No. 333, forever and inducted them into the IPL's Hall of Fame. Although the two cricketing legends do not feature in RCB's ranks anymore, fans continue to show their love.
In the ongoing IPL 2023, AB de Villiers and Gayle have been seen with the squad and sending a wave of excitement among fans gathered at the Chinnaswamy Stadium with their presence.
In a recent interview with Danish Sait, AB de Villiers opened up about what he misses the most about the city of Bengaluru, his equation with 'brother' Virat Kohli, and revealed that he would hand over the iconic jersey No. 17 if the number were not retired to Rajat Patidar. The South African great also signed off with an iconic Kannada song in a video that has now gone viral on social media.
Talking about meeting Virat Kohli ahead of IPL 2023, AB de Villiers said, "It was very special. You know we are good friends. He (Kohli) is like a brother to me so everytime we see you just... you know when you don't see each other often, but you know the other person so well that it feels like you saw them yesterday. So, that's what it felt like. We just caught up immediately, chat up about life, family. Just happy to see each other."
When asked about what he misses the most about Bengaluru, AB de Villiers stated, "I miss the cool morning air of Bengaluru. Long walks in Cubbon Park, Masala dosa at CTR, Masala Puri at Sairam chats... the fragrance of the flowes in Malleshwaram... and the Cool Joint at Jayanagar."
Here's RCB icon AB de Villiers in conversation with Danish Sait:
Jersey No. 17 and AB De Villers have always been synonymous. Ever since Villiers joined the franchise in 2011, the player had played 11 seasons wearing the same jersey and scored 4491 runs in a total of 156 matches. He had slammed 37 50s and 2 100s for the Bangalore-based franchise. De Villiers had a strike rate of 152 for RCB and posted five 100-plus partnerships with Virat Kohli and two 200-plus stands.Â
Villiers even won the most power-packed knock in the 2012 IPL for his assault on Dale Steyn. He had always been a finisher par excellence, like when he hit a sublime hundred in Mumbai in 2015 and another in Bengaluru against Gujarat Lions in 2016. However, to everybody's surprise, Villiers announced his retirement from all forms of cricket in November 2021.
(With inputs from PTI)
