Fondly known as Mr. 360 degree for his wide range of strokes, former South Africa batter AB de Villiers has a special bond with the IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).
RCB bought De Villiers in the IPL 2011 auction for $1.1 million after Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) had released him. He never left the franchise after that and played till the last season, before announcing his retirement.
During his RCB tenure, De Villiers built a strong friendship with Virat Kohli, who led the side from 2013-2021. The duo was involved in some memorable partnerships and developed a mutual respect for each other.
For the ongoing IPL 2022 season, RCB have appointed Faf du Plessis as captain and Kohli is playing as a specialist batter.
Speaking on the franchise's official website, Virat said 'he will remember ABD if RCB win the title.' The former RCB skipper also recalled the moment when he heard from De Villiers that he wouldn't be playing anymore.
"It is very strange, I mean. I clearly remember when he decided to finally call it a day, he sent me a voice note. And, I still remember we were coming back from Dubai after the World Cup, and I got this voice note, and we were driving back home. I got the voice note, I opened it and listened to it. Anushka was with me and I looked at her like this," Kohli stated.
"The first thing she said was, don’t tell me. She knew. I kind of had the impression during the last IPL. He kept telling me, our rooms were next to each other. I want to see you for coffee one of these days. I kept getting nervous, I was like I am not sitting with you, I think there’s something coming." he added.
"He said "I just want to sit and chat with you, it’s been a while." And he never speaks like that, you know, because we interact all the time. I knew something was brewing up. It’s a very strange feeling, I got very emotional, the voice note was very emotional as well for me when he said I don’t have it in me anymore."
"I have shared so many moments with him, highs and lows, everything, he’s been right next to me through thick and thin. I was thinking about him the other day that if we manage to win the title in the coming seasons, this one, next one, whatever it is. I would be very emotional thinking about him first, rather than you know what I would experience after such hard work of so many years." Kohli added.
"I would actually think how much it would still mean to him, watching from home. He’s a special human being, he’s touched everyone’s lives here, we can all vouch for that, he’s been amazing. I don’t think there’s one person who can say AB has not contributed to my life some way or the other."
AB de Villiers also shared a message for the RCB franchise and fans.
"I know I’m not gonna go anywhere, I’m gonna be an RCBan for life. Every single person in the RCB setup has become family to me. I’ve spent a lot of time together now, some people come, some go. But that RCB franchise, and the spirit and the love we have for each other will always remain. All the very best team RCB," he said.
