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Former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter AB de Villiers recently revealed that he played through with an eye issue during the final two years of his career.
The legendary South African cricketer bid farewell to international cricket on March 30, 2018. He last played in the Test match against Australia at the New Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg.
However, he remained active in IPL for a couple more seasons and played for his beloved RCB franchise. AB de Villiers ended his IPL career at the end of 2021 after the Royal Challengers lost in the playoffs against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). He scored 11 (9) in his farewell innings before Sunil Narine cleaned him up.
AB de Villiers recently opened up about the health issues he faced during the final stage of his playing career and said on The Wisden:
"My youngster accidentally kicked me on my eye with his heel. I started really losing vision in the right eye. When I got the surgery done, the doctor actually asked me, ‘How in the world did you play cricket like this?’. Luckily, my left eye did a decent job for the last two years of my career."
Fans online empathized with De Villiers following his shocking revelation. They also heaped praise on him for performing at an elite level for RCB during his final two seasons even while struggling with eye issues. Here are some of the top reactions:
"I hope so"- AB de Villiers on whether he would coach RCB in the future
De Villiers gave his ardent RCB fans a positive indication that he might return to the side in a coaching capacity in the future. In a conversation with India Today, the 39-year-old said:
"I hope so. I mean, my heart is with the RCB. I've played there for many, many years. I've got a very good connection with the fans of Bangalore, and I'll always be appreciative for all the support and love over the years. I can't guarantee anything, but I would absolutely love to see myself in the RCB colors again in the future."
Across 13 years, AB de Villiers played 184 matches in IPL and accumulated 5162 runs at an average of 39.71, including 3 centuries and 40 fifties.
