AB de Villiers: It will always be Proteas before the IPL

He’s been accused in the past few years of being more fond of the Indian Premier League (IPL) than the Proteas but AB de Villiers insists nothing beats playing for one’s country.

The dynamic middle-order batsman recently committed to playing Test cricket again after taking a break from the format.

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However, people weren’t all that happy when De Villiers initially announced his absence from the five-day format as a way to preserve himself for the 2019 World Cup, yet still participated in the IPL.

But he insists the riches of the glitzy T20 tournament don’t skew players’ priorities.

“It’s up to the individual. They can play wherever they want to make themselves better cricketers. For me, my country South Africa always comes first. IPL has been an incredible lesson to me and my family,” De Villiers told the Hindustan Times at a sponsorship event.

“I have enjoyed every second of my stay in the country and hopefully many more years to come. But cricket in South Africa will always take priority for me and I think it’s the case for any South African-born player.”

It will only be when he’s certain he can’t add value anymore that De Villiers would consider becoming a T20 “mercenary”.

“Once those corners are cut off and you realise you can’t represent the country anymore and the chances are less, I have no problem with someone going to play cricket (England, India or Australia) anywhere. Whatever makes him happy.”

For now though, the 33-year-old former skipper feels like a rookie again who has to fight for a place in the team.

And it’s a prospect he’s looking forward to.

“It is not that I can just walk into the team. I have to work hard for it. I am prepared to work really hard to be selected to play against India,” said De Villiers.

“I feel very refreshed, revived and ready to go again. I have very quickly realised that it (cricket) is the most important thing in my life.”