There is no doubt that former South Africa captain AB de Villiers is one of the most popular overseas players amongst Indian cricket fans. One of the biggest reasons behind De Villiers’ extreme popularity in India is his exploits with Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
De Villiers is, in fact, so popular that at times he has been greeted with standing ovations in various stadiums in India, even when he played for the South African national team against India. No wonder the Proteas superstar also acknowledges that he has been loved by Indian fans.
However, in a recent chat, De Villiers explained that it would have been interesting if he had grown up in India before adding he might have found it quite challenging to make the Indian cricket team.
“I have had the privilege of experiencing IPL Cricket, the Indian crowd, and the Indian way of doing things for the last 15 years. Obviously, growing up in India would have been interesting. Maybe I would have never played for India, who knows. It is tough to make it to the Indian team; you have to be a special player,” said De Villiers on the RCB Podcast.
The 37-year-old also shared his thoughts about his decade-long stay with RCB, terming it the most amazing time of his life. De Villiers said that the Bangalore-based franchise is like a family to him.
“RCB to me is family. I mean, it has been a life-changing 10-11 years to me. Like any other family, there are ups and downs. There are beautiful, there’re amazing rides, there’s a bit of everything. There are good relationships, and then there are those that go sour, which is all part of the fun. I look back with no regrets. I think back on my career at RCB as the most amazing years of my life,” added De Villiers.
