India’s T20I captain Rohit Sharma joined the deluge of tributes flowing for former South Africa skipper AB de Villiers, who announced his retirement from all forms of cricket on Friday. Rohit said that there haven’t too many cricketers who have had an impact on the game like De Villiers.
De Villiers is known to have revolutionized batting in the shorter formats with his innovative shots alongwith being among South Africa’s highest run scorers in Test cricket.
“Not many people have had the impact on the game like AB did. It was indeed a pleasure to watch him play from the other side. Happy retirement AB, best wishes to and your family @ABdeVilliers17,” said Rohit in his tweet.
De Villiers, 37, said that the “flame” in him for playing cricket “no longer burns so brightly” which is why he decided to retire. “Ever since the backyard matches with my older brothers, I have played the game with pure enjoyment and unbridled enthusiasm. Now, at the age of 37, that flame no longer burns so brightly,” he said in his statement.
“Cricket has been exceptionally kind to me. Whether playing for the Titans, or the Proteas, or RCB, or around the world, the game has given me unimagined experiences and opportunities, and I will always be grateful.”
The decision also brought to an end a 10-year tenure for de Villiers with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL. He scored 4491 runs for RCB and finishes his Indian Premier League (IPL) career with 5162 runs. In international cricket, he scored 672 runs in 78 T20Is, 9577 runs in 228 ODI matches and 8765 runs in 114 Tests.
