England wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler considers AB de Villiers as his idol and has often expressed his admiration for the Proteas batting legend.

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Recently, Buttler opened up about his first interaction with De Villiers during the Indian Premier League (IPL) where the latter mistook the Englishman for a Kiwi cricketer.

“De Villiers has been my idol growing up. The guy I love watching, he is just awesome,” Buttler, who plays for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, said during The Royals Podcast Episode 3, the full show of which will be aired on their official social media handles on April 14.

“Got to know him a little bit during the IPL actually when I was at Mumbai (Indians). Just at the start of the game, he said I will catch up with you for a beer at the hotel after the game.

“I was like so excited. I was like so cool getting to drink a beer with AB de Villiers. I got back to the hotel told my fiance at that time (now wife) we are going to go straight to the bar. AB de Villiers will be there for a drink, this is going to be awesome.

“We probably chatted for 20 minutes, having a great time I am loving it and he has got pretty strong Afrikaans accent. About 20 minutes into the conversation, he asks ‘which part of New Zealand are you from?’ and that just absolutely killed me,” he explained.

Just like every other professional cricketer, Buttler is currently spending time at home in the wake of the Coronavirus pandemic, which has brought the entire world to a practical standstill.

He was supposed to play for Royals in the 13th edition of IPL. But with the COVID-19 cases continuing to rise globally, it is unlikely the cash-rich event will be organised anytime soon.

(With IANS inputs)