Premium

‘Tears filled my eyes’: AB de Villiers pens heartfelt note after being inducted in RCB’s Hall of Fame

For AB de Villiers, the Chinnaswamy was a second home where he played several magical knocks and created memorable moments.

AB de Villiers in action during an IPL match. (BCCI/IPL)

Listen to this article

00:00

1x 1.5x 1.8x

Former South African and Royal Challengers Bangalore batter AB de Villiers wrote a passionate letter for Bengaluru fans after being inducted into the RCB Hall of Fame along with former teammate Chris Gayle.

Expressing gratitude to the Bangalore-based franchise, who retired his jersey number, de Villiers wrote: “So March 26th, 2023 Chris and I were inducted into the RCB hall of fame and our jersey numbers retired forever. My heart blossomed as my wife, two boys and a little girl walked up the stairs to enter our RCB den, stairs that I have walked up so many times with butterflies fluttering in my stomach. It felt weird to walk up there in a different state of mind.

Tears filled my eyes when I stepped on to the balcony of our dressing room at the Chinnaswamy in front of a packed stadium. I never thought hearing the chants of ABD could beat the first time, but this time was different. It used to be adrenalin combined with an extreme hunger to please the cry out of our fans to find a way to win, this time it was a sea of emotion that filled my body as I simply felt grateful to have had my time in the arena representing a proud city, an amazing franchise and incredible teammates,” the former South African cricketer wrote in an emotional post.

“So many special memories rushed back as I thought of all my days spent in India since 2003, I have a deep connection with this country and its people. I’ll forever be grateful! Thank you, teammates, especially Virat, thank you RCB, thank you Bengaluru,” he added.