One of the greatest of all time and a generational talent, AB De Villiers, announced his retirement from all forms of cricket earlier today with a series of tweets, thanking all his fans and followers for the incredible support over the years.
This was a bit surprising for everyone because there were reports that RCB was even planning to retain him as one of the 4 players before the mega IPL auction and he looked in decent touch with the bat even in the last IPL. So, retirement didn’t seem to be on the horizon.
However, the international retirement of AB de Villiers was sudden as well, and he hadn’t dropped any hints ahead of that either. But, in case of his international retirement, it was believed his relationship with Cricket South Africa (CSA) was not that great.
Here with RCB, he was one of the most celebrated players with a huge fanbase in Bangalore and in India in general, with all those fans wanting him to keep going for another couple of years. But, it wasn’t to be.
Reactions flooded from all quarters as AB de Villiers broke the news of his retirement
As soon as De Villiers broke the news on Twitter, the reactions flooded from all quarters with not just the fans, but the cricketers as well, who looked up to him growing up, and the journalists, who covered his performances with immense joy, paying tribute.
While De Villiers might not have broken all the batting records, many considered him the greatest batsman of the generation in terms of his ability in all formats of the game.
He was an elite test match batsman which required solid batsmanship technique and then he also brought the flamboyant and the funky skillset on the table for the shorter formats of the game, making him the most complete batsman of his time.
Here is how Twitter reacted after ABD announced his retirement earlier today –
Not seeing AB De Villiers from IPL 2022 won't disappoint me that much, neither realising that there will be no AB to rescue RCB and take them to a win in crunch games. The thing will disappoint me the most is AB retiring without an IPL trophy to his name, he gave his everything.
Advertisement— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) November 19, 2021
It's over man thanks for everything man @ABdeVilliers17 … Thought you would extend few more years … But difficult thing to swallow .
Advertisement— Sai (@akakrcb6) November 19, 2021
There is no doubt in my mind that @ABdeVilliers17 has been one of the most influential players of his generation. A genius, a true successor to Lara. Wish you well AB. I am sure your countless fans at @RCBTweets will want to give you a befitting send-off. You were a great combo.
Advertisement— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) November 19, 2021
Looked up to in my early cricket days and it’s been an honour to play against you 😊 Good luck @ABdeVilliers17 and thank you for everything you’ve done for cricket 👏 https://t.co/iLqqdqy6ax
Advertisement— Shreyas Iyer (@ShreyasIyer15) November 19, 2021
The best there is, the best there ever will be.
AdvertisementHappy Retirement, ABD. It was our goddamn honour watching you play the sport. pic.twitter.com/sHGG1GbObF
— Sritama Panda (Ross Taylor’s Version) (@cricketpun_duh) November 19, 2021
WC2015 Vs WI.He was very ill.Running high temperature n vomiting before d game.Asked him ru ok ? He replied wake me up when I hv to bat n was sleeping.Woke up went 2bat hammered 162* (66b) came back n slept again 4a while.Thr Wont be another player 2 match his skills.ThankYou ABD
— Prasanna (@prasannalara) November 19, 2021
My favourite ABD quits all forms of cricket. I will miss you @ABdeVilliers17 #ThankYouAB
— Manak Gupta (@manakgupta) November 19, 2021
Legend ❤#ABD https://t.co/Je0yFojWZJ
— Amit Joshi (@joshiamit__) November 19, 2021
I was there at this game. My first India game in a stadium and I wat h myself shouting ABD, QDK and Fafs name in the madness that ensued that day. The moment I heard the news all of his knocks just flashed in front of my eyes. Sad that he won't get a fitting goodbye at RCB. #ABD https://t.co/lhUkzb8eCj
— SohamJ (@LegendSoham) November 19, 2021
Thank you #ABDevilliers
Thank you for memories 🥳🥳
On of the best batsmen
For South Africa #ABD #ABRetirement pic.twitter.com/IoclHP3QP1— L.Umesh (@Neutral_Cricket) November 19, 2021
