VVS Laxman tweets a beautiful farewell message for AB de Villiers

The whole world was left shocked on Wednesday (May 23) as one of the greatest cricketers of the modern-day game chose to hang up his boots. South African batting superstar, AB de Villiers announced the decision to retire from all three formats of international Cricket. Amongst the millions of wishes and messages pouring in, veteran Indian cricketer VVS Laxman had some beautiful words to say.

In what can be only termed as ‘sudden and unexpected’, de Villiers posted a video message on Twitter about an hour ago, conveying his decision to retire from the game. Not only did he acknowledge the prolific career that he’s had but also thanked his well-wishers and fans warmly. The 34-year-old was last seen playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

AB de Villiers leaves the cricketing world heartbroken

After having played 114 Test matches, 228 ODIs and 78 T20 Internationals, where he raked up a huge tally of 20,014 runs in all, de Villiers’s decision came as a blow for his fans all over the globe. Long hailed as Mr. 360-degree, ABD had garnered a reputation for his impeccable batting and fielding skills. From taking the most difficult catches with amazing ease to hauling his team form the rock-bottom single-handedly with his batting heroics, ABD did it all.

In the video message he tweeted, ABD 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 series wins against India and Australia, now feels like the right time to step aside.” He’d previously taken a short break from the game between January 2016-December 2017 owing to health issues and personal commitments.

Here’s what VVS Laxman tweeted:

Many congratulations @ABdeVilliers17 on a glorious Cricket career. You enriched the game with your ability, presence and mannerisms and will continue to be a role-model for aspiring cricketers. Wish you a very happy post-retirement life.

— VVS Laxman (@VVSLaxman281) May 23, 2018

Although he’s retiring from international cricket and has no intentions to play overseas, ABD assured in his message that he’ll continue to play domestic Cricket. A steady stream of wishes and farewell messages for the Protean started pouring in from the minute that he announced his retirement. Mark Boucher, Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag took to Twitter much like Laxman to bid adieu to one of the best cricketers the world has seen in quite some time.

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