Former South African cricketer AB de Villiers has previously received a fair share of criticism and obstacles from team management after expressing his desire to come back from retirement. However, the swashbuckling batsman remains undeterred as he is still hoping to make a return to the national squad for the T20 World Cup.
In a candid conversation with the renowned cricket expert Harsha Bhogle, De Villiers revealed that he remains hopeful about the occurrence of IPL this year. Further, this will also give him an honest insight into his preparation and whether he should return or not from retirement.
On May 23, 2018, the explosive batsman bid adieu to all formats of international cricket after featuring in 114 Tests, 228 ODIs and 78 T20Is for South Africa.
De Villiers also talked about his exchanges with Proteas Head coach Mark Boucher before the beginning of lockdown. While Boucher hadn’t ruled out the prospect of the right-handed batsman’s return to an international arena, they are yet to arrive at any conclusion.
“Boucher started the conversation with me about a possible comeback. I am not the kind of guy who’d say, ‘look, I am back and available’. I told him to let’s see where we go with this. Yes, it’s confusing, things have changed in the last 3-4 years. I am still healthy and feel I can hit the ball. If that changes, I am certainly not available for anything. But for now, let’s see what happens in the next few games I play,” an explosive batsman asserted.
De Villiers made evident that he isn’t ‘back and available’, but he would instead reassess his mental and physical fitness before deciding anything. The 13th edition of IPL, scheduled to start from March 29, got cancelled in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. However, the South African talisman remains optimistic about the future of the much-awaited T20 extravaganza.
“I’ve to assess my situation every single day and see where I’m at. I just want to get back to a cricket field. Hopefully, the IPL happens this year. I just want to get going, after which I will reassess and I will have a look at where I’m at – with regards to my body, family and hunger, all of these things play a big role,” de Villiers added.
