AB de Villiers steps down as the captain of the South African Test team, Faf du Plessis handed the reins with immediate effect

South Africa’s star batsman AB de Villiers has stepped down as the Test captain. He has also been ruled been out of the series against Sri Lanka, and has also endorsed stand-in skipper Faf du Plessis to take over the job permanently.

"The interests of the team must always outweigh the interests of any individual, including me," de Villiers said. "It was a fantastic honour for me to be asked to captain the Test side but I have missed two series and I am still in doubt for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka. Following the squad's outstanding performances in Australia, it is clearly in the greater interests of the team that Faf du Plessis should be confirmed as the permanent Test captain."

"The interests of the team must always outweigh the interests of any individual, including me." - AB de Villiers

— Cricket South Africa (@OfficialCSA) December 12, 2016

De Villiers has been out of action since the Caribbean Premier League and was ruled out of the series against Australia. Faf du Plessis stood in and led the team to 2-1 win against Australia in their own backyard. This could have pushed de Villiers to make this call.

Along with this, he also put out a tweet congratulating Faf du Plessis, and this could only mean that du Plessis will be now the full-time skipper.

Congratulations to @faf1307 . Keep up the great work. You have my full support #proteafire

— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) December 12, 2016

AB underwent a surgery on his left elbow, and thus he adopted a wait and watch policy and the surgeon looked forward to three-month rehabilitation period. After having expressed desire to participate in the Day-Night Test match against Australia, AB had to finally take a step back in order to recover. He turned up for his franchise, Titans in a bid to make a comeback through the T20 route, but then the CSA's medical committee had other ideas and they did not give him a nod.

De Villiers has not been able to lead South Africa ever since he was named the permanent skipper of South Africa. Faf has stepped in every time and has led the team to a 1-0 Test series win over New Zealand, a 5-0 ODI win against Australia but the biggest win came against Australia when South Africa romped home 2-1 in the 3-match Test series. Du Plessis’ leadership skills earned rave reviews and he was always earmarked to take over Test captaincy if AB decided to step down.

Cricket South Africa Chief Executive, Haroon Lorgat, supported this decision taken by De Villiers and said that this showed the team man that De Villiers is. He also backed new captain Faf du Plessis.

"AB has always carried himself as a true team player and his decision to step down confirms his attitude to put the team first. It is no surprise that the CSA Board has confirmed Faf du Plessis as the Test captain to take over from AB," said Lorgat. "

However, Du Plessis himself is under some cloud after he was found guilty of breaching the code of conduct when he was caught shining the ball with saliva mixed with mint during the Hobart Test match. Du Plessis has pleaded not guilty even as he was fined 100% of his match fee. He is now appealing the verdict and thus could face a one-match suspension if the judicial commissioner decides to uphold the earlier verdict.