IPL 2020: ‘The game needs you,’ Team India coach Ravi Shastri wants AB de Villiers to end his retirement

IPL 2020: ‘The game needs you,’ Team India coach Ravi Shastri wants AB de Villiers to end his retirement

Ravi Shastri and AB de Villiers

Ravi Shastri and AB de Villiers
Ravi Shastri and AB de Villiers

Ace batsman AB de Villiers once again showed the world why he is the best in business when it comes to scoring runs at ease. The RCB player grabbed all the eyeballs with his magnificent knock of 73* runs off just 33 deliveries on a sluggish pitch of Sharjah. 

Indian cricket team head coach Ravi Shastri also hailed the 36-year old after his knock against Kolkata Knight Riders. He went on to say that it’s the perfect time for him to come out of his retirement from international cricket. 

“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.

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RCB skipper Virat Kohli also lauded his teammate by calling him a ‘superhuman’. He also admitted that barring de Villiers, each batsman struggled on this pitch. 

AB de Villiers’ international retirement

AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers

Former South Africa skipper AB de Villiers announced his retirement from international cricket in May 2018. This news came as a bit of a shock for everyone as the dynamic batsman would have been an integral part of his team for the 2019 World Cup. His decision also meant that captain Faf du Plessis would be without his biggest match-winner for the ICC tournament.

As a result, de Villiers’ absence was a huge void for the Proteas as they finished at the second last spot at the Points Table. South Africa could only perform better than Afghanistan (last positioned team). Following this, they could not qualify for the semi-finals after getting eliminated in the league stage.

AB de Villiers even tried making one last effort to come out of retirement before the mega event. But captain du Plessis and head coach Ottis Gibson along with the entire team management turned it down. They felt it would be unfair on those who had worked hard to make it to the World Cup squad.

Also Read | IPL 2020: Virat Kohli lauds ‘superhuman’ AB de Villiers as Royal Challengers Bangalore beat KKR