"Happy birthday Sir" - Yuzvendra Chahal pens an emotional note on AB de Villiers' 38th birthday
Team India leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal penned an emotional note for AB de Villiers, who turned 38 on Thursday (February 17). Chahal and de Villiers share a great bond, having played for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL for more than five years.
The cricketer from Haryana, who is currently busy with the squad for the T20I assignment against West Indies, shared a picture on Instagram wishing the former cricketer on his birth anniversary. Yuzvendra Chahal captioned the picture:
"Wishing my favourite batsman and my favourite human being a very happy birthday. Cricket misses you Ab sir & so do I. Happy birthday Sir."
Meanwhile, wishes rolled in for AB de Villiers across all social media platforms. India's limited-overs vice-captain KL Rahul, who is currently out of action due to a hamstring injury, also wished the celebrated cricketer. Taking to Twitter, Rahul wrote:
"A legend of the game and someone from whom I learned a lot about cricket. Wishing you a very Happy birthday @ABdeVilliers17 God bless."
A legend of the game and someone from whom I learned a lot about cricket. Wishing you a very Happy birthday @ABdeVilliers17 God bless 馃
De Villiers' last IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore also shared a heartfelt message on his birthday. Sharing a picture, they wrote:
"The Man. The Myth. The Legend. 馃檶馃徎 Here鈥檚 wishing Mr. 3锔忊儯6锔忊儯0锔忊儯, @abdevilliers17, a very very Happy Birthday."
India's new middle-order star Suryakumar Yadav wished the talismanic run-scorer on Twitter. Suryakumar wrote on Twitter:
"Happy birthday to the ever so classy @ABdeVilliers17."
Happy birthday to the ever so classy @ABdeVilliers17 馃憫
Here are some other reactions:
Wishing the great cricketer and wonderful human being @ABdeVilliers17 a very happy birthday.馃巶馃拹
One of the very few batsman to play shots which are not in the books. Mr 360掳 for a reason.
#HbdAbdeVilliers #ABDevilliers https://t.co/kEXiUGGDaT
Happy Birthday to the man who made me watch cricket even though I'm not a fan of the game. Happy Birthday AB de Villiers https://t.co/GyQoPunmIl
Happy Birthday, Papa @ABdeVilliers17. 馃巶 馃巶
#OneFamily #mipaltan #AalaRe https://t.co/b7KdFE1ypr
The first and last of this rare breed. Of all the player's I've seen play, the only one i felt rivals or betters Virat. Cricket would never get another AB.
I was privilaged to watch youKing, Happy Birthday to you @ABdeVilliers17 鈾ワ笍 https://t.co/fVXlCCCtY5
Happy Birthday to the most loved foreign cricketer ever in India .The freak ,The Genius,The Superman,the invincible Mr.360 Ab De Villiers 馃懡馃悙鉂わ笍
#HappyBirthdayABD https://t.co/P0tfFAkhTf
I still believe that I've a role to play for the RCB: AB de Villiers
A modern-day great, the former Proteas cricketer has asserted he still has a role to play for his national team and his IPL franchise, Royal Challengers Bangalore. Speaking to Times LIVE, he said:
鈥淚 still believe that I have a role to play in SA cricket and also over there in the IPL with the Royal Challengers Bangalore. I have no idea what will come next but I will take it one day at a time and see."
De Villiers added:
"No one knows about it, and hopefully, I can look back one day in the future knowing that I have made a big difference in the lives of a few players. That is my focus for now and I don't know if it's going to be professional or on a casual basis but we will see where we go with that."
AB de Villiers called time on his IPL career after the 2021 edition. Overall, he has amassed 5162 runs in 184 matches at an average of 39.70, including three centuries and 40 fifties.