'Feels like he was born in India': Raina, Chahal's love for AB de Villiers is winning hearts
South Africa's AB de Villiers is universally respected in the cricketing fraternity. In India, the love for AB de Villiers goes beyond the context of international rivalry, as the crowd cheers his name everytime he comes to bat.
In the Indian Premier League, the South African star has given the fans many memories to cherish. Many of his partnerships with Virat Kohli have won crucial games for Royal Challengers Bangalore.
On Monday, de Villiers' RCB teammate Yuzvendra Chahal, and Chennai Super Kings' Suresh Raina interacted during a live session on Instagram. The duo couldn't stop heaping praise on the South African batsman, even saying that the love for him in India makes it feel like he was born in this country.
"I'm a huge fan of Ab de Villiers. He is a top cricketer. AB and Virat had so many good partnerships. It feels like he was a Bangalore-born person living in South Africa," Raina said in the live session.
Chahl, too, agreed with Raina. "I've seen that wherever he plays in India-- be it Bangalore or Mumbai, the crowd keeps cheering 'AB! AB!'."
Suresh Raina even went on to give an Indian name to the South African.
"He's so down-to-Earth, a very very good human being. It feels like he's an Indian, his name should've been AB Devi Prasad or something like that!" Raina hilariously suggested, invoking laughter from Chahal as well.
The 13th edition of the Indian Premier League is currently suspended till further notice due to the deadly outbreak of coronavirus in the country. The enforced break has prompted the cricketers to take to social media to interact with fellow players and fans.
