Legendary former South African batsman and RCB star AB de Villiers turned 36 on Monday.
South Africa's star cricketer AB de Villiers turned 36 on Monday, and cricketers and fans alike have been wishing him across the social media platforms. The veteran cricketer, who left international cricket in 2018, is widely regarded as one of the best batsmen in modern-day cricket. de Villiers represented South Africa from 2005 to 2018 - but there have been discussions over his potential international comeback ahead of this year's T20 World Cup in Australia.
Indian captain Virat Kohli, who shares the dressing room with de Villiers for Royal Challengers Bangalore, was among the many who wished him on his 36th birthday. Taking to Twitter, Kohli wrote, "Happy bday brother. Wish you all the happiness and good health and lots of love to the family. See you soon."
KL Rahul, who also played with the South African superstar during his time at RCB, wrote, "Happy birthday to Mr 360 @ABdeVilliers17 Have a good one lej, see you soon at the @IPL."
de Villiers, who has been named the ICC ODI Cricket of the Year on three different occasions, holds the record for the fastest century in the format. He slammed a hundred off just 31 deliveries against West Indies in 2015. He has represented South Africa in 228 ODIs, scoring 9,577 runs at a brilliant average of 53.50.
In Tests, he boasts of an average of 50.66, scoring 8,765 in 114 matches.
While de Villiers commands obvious respect for his brilliant performances at the international level, he is also widely regarded in India for his highly successful stint in the Indian Premier League. 'Mr 360' has been a part of Royal Challengers Bangalore since 2011 (having played for Delhi Daredevils between 2008-2010).
He, along with Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle, formed a fearsome trio at its prime for the RCB which broke several batting records. Gayle and de Villiers are currently the top-two in the list of most six-hitters in IPL history. The duo also takes four places among the top-five for most individual scores in an IPL innings at the moment.
de Villiers, along with Kohli, holds the record for the highest partnership in the history of IPL. The duo slammed 229 runs for the second-wicket stand against the now-defunct Gujarat Lions.
de Villiers has scored 3,724 runs for the RCB in 126 matches, slamming two centuries and 30 half-centuries.
