Bollywood Reacts to AB de Villiers' Shocking Retirement

AB de Villiers, on Wednesday (May 23), dropped a huge bombshell on the cricketing world.

The South African legend brought down curtains on his international career all of a sudden. In a video, the 34-year old said he was tired and wanted to bow out on a high.

“After 114 test matches, 228 one day internationals and 78 T20 internationals it is time for others to take over. I’ve had my turn and to be honest I’m tired,” he said.

“This is a tough decision, I have thought long and hard about it, and I’d like to retire while still playing decent cricket. After the fantastic (test) series wins against India and Australia, now feels like the right time to step aside.

“It would not be right for me to pick and choose where, when and in what format I play for the Proteas. For me, in the green and gold, it must be everything or nothing,” he added.

De Villiers represented the Proteas for well over a decade. He was their batting mainstay for the most part of his illustrious career, playing the role with utmost aplomb.

Overall, he scored a staggering 20,014 international runs (8765 in Tests, 9577 in ODIs and 1672 in T20Is). He also finished his career with a batting average over 50 in both Tests, and ODIs.

The right-hander also holds the record for the fastest 50, fastest 100 and fastest 150 in ODIs, all coming against the Windies. He smashed a 31-ball 100 in Johannesburg in 2015 and hit a 66-ball 162 in the 2015 World Cup encounter in Sydney.

Recently, Ab de Villiers impressed in the Indian Premier League. He scored 480 runs with the help of six fifties and one of the shining lights in an otherwise poor campaign for his side. But, despite showing no signs of slowing down, he decided to call it quits. And as expected, the whole world was shell-shocked by the news.

Well, the news has left the Bollywood world surprised too. Several stars took to Twitter to express their shock over the news.

Here is how Bollywood reacted to the news:

In life, what we do to positively impact the lives of others has greater meaning than what we accomplish for ourselves. You’ve managed to do both beautifully & always with such grace & integrity. Wishing you & Danielle a blessed, happy life ahead ? @ABdeVilliers17 @DanielleDV27

— Anushka Sharma (@AnushkaSharma) May 23, 2018

Congratulations @ABdeVilliers17, what a spectacularly proud cricketing career you’ve had! Your game will be talked about for years to come. Wish you all the best for your future endeavors. #ABDevilliers

— arjunk26 (@arjunk26) May 23, 2018

No!!! Can’t imagine cricket without him! Will miss our cricket Superman #ABDevilliers @ABdeVilliers17 #retirement https://t.co/7Y9M0essdj

— मनवीर महाराज सिंह (@imanveergurjar) May 23, 2018

It was a delight watching @ABdeVilliers17 play the game. He's one of the finest cricketers the world has ever seen. Will miss his presence everytime I'll watch a match of @OfficialCSA. Best wishes to him for his post-retirement life. ?? #ABDevilliers

— Himansh Kohli (@himanshkohli) May 23, 2018

Oh noooo @ABdeVilliers17 please play a little longer. Please ? #abdevilliers

— Saiyami Kher (@SaiyamiKher) May 23, 2018