South African star cricketer AB de Villiers had said goodbye to international cricket in 2018, but he still bats in the same style and same potential as if he had never left playing the game. In the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020, AB de Villiers has played such wonderful knocks with the bat after which fans and cricket experts have started to request him to return to international cricket.
Last night, the in-form hard-hitting batsman played a fiery innings against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) after which Indian cricket team head coach Ravi Shastri demanded his return to international cricket.
Royal Challengers Bangalore defeated Kolkata Knight Riders by 82 runs in the 28th match of the IPL on Monday. RCB's AB de Villiers scored 73 runs off 33 balls and was adjudged Man of the Match for his magnificent innings.
“Now, that the penny has dropped. What one saw last night was unreal. And the feeling is the same waking up. @ABdeVilliers17, the game in these trying times or otherwise needs you back in the international arena and out of retirement. The game will be better off,” Shastri tweeted on Tuesday.
When De Villiers came out to bat against KKR, the team's score was 94 runs at the loss of two wickets in 12.2 overs. He scored an unbeaten 73 in only 33 balls which included five fours and six sixes and completed his half-century in just 23 balls.
In IPL 2019, de Villiers scored 442 runs in 13 matches at an average of 44.20 which included five fifties. This season he has scored 228 runs in seven matches at an average of 57 which includes three half-centuries.
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De Villiers announced retirement from international cricket in May 2018. The South African legend has played 114 Test matches, 228 ODIs and 78 T20 Internationals for South Africa during his illustrious career.
De Villiers has scored 8765 runs at an average of 50 over 191 innings in Tests, while he has scored 9677 runs in 218 innings at an average of over 53 in ODIs.
During the 2019 Cricket World Cup, there were reports that he was pressurizing the selectors to include him in the World Cup squad. However, de Villiers dismissed these reports outright.