'I've become half Indian now': AB de Villiers' message for RCB fans after retirement

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) fans found themselves surrounded by all types of emotions, as their favourite Proteas legend AB de Villiers announced his decision to hang his boots from all forms of cricket. RCB then took to their official Twitter handle on Friday and uploaded a video of the legendary cricketer where he can be seen and heard talking about his feelings following his decision to retire. De Villiers spent a total of 10 seasons playing for RCB, after getting roped in by the franchise during the IPL Players Auction 2011, and exited the team as one of their main pillars.

Speaking about his time playing for RCB in the emotional video, the former Proteas batter said, “To all the people in Bangalore, all the people around the world who followed me and supported me with the RCB team and any other team that I represented over the years, thank you very much for that. I know I am not going anywhere, I’m going to be an RCBian for life. Every single person in the RCB set-up has become family to me. Some people come & go, but the spirit & the love we have for each other at RCB will always remain. I have had an incredible time over there, I know we haven’t won a trophy but I truly believe there are plenty more to come in the future. I’ve become half Indian now & I’m proud of that.” He further added that although he lives in South Africa, India will always hold a special place in his heart.

'Many years of my life left of giving back to the game,' says AB de Villiers

Earlier in the video, speaking about his retirement, “Today, I am gonna be making a big announcement, a very emotional announcement, that I have finished with all formats and all cricket all around. I do have a smile on my face because I think I am making the right decision but obviously, I am incredibly sad and have lots of emotions and thoughts going through my mind. All the years of playing cricket, there’s a lot of mixed emotions”. He went on to add that things happened very quickly for him in the last month, and his retirement was on his mind for quite a bit. He added he is looking to prioritize family time now and wants to be the best version of himself. He concluded his message by saying that there are many years of cricket left in his life, as he wants to give back to the game that has changed his life.

Watch the full video:

Image: BCCI