Royal Challengers batsmen AB De Villiers (R) and Mandeep Singh (L) greet each other after their 6 wicket victory during the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL) Twenty20 cricket match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Daredevils at The M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore on April 21, 2018. RCB chased a score of 174 runs scored by Delhi Daredevils and won the match with 6 wickets in hand. / AFP PHOTO / Manjunath KIRAN / ----IMAGE RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - STRICTLY NO COMMERCIAL USE----- / GETTYOUT
Indian cricket fans are renowned for not only going gaga over their local stars like Virat Kohli, especially since the Indian Premier League (IPL) brought some of the biggest stars to the country annually since 2008.
One man who’s probably more popular than 90% of other Indian cricketers is AB de Villiers.
The Proteas talisman truly is a celebrity in the country.
However, in an interview with GQ India, De Villiers reveals just how obsessed the Indian fans are with him.
“People sleep in front of our hotels, it’s quite crazy,” he said, adding that they camp outside simply to get a glimpse of him … even if they don’t get anywhere near him.
“But I understand the love for the game. I was brought up with the same kind of love for cricket and I’d do anything to play, so I understand the feeling. It’s a great privilege to be playing in India. I’ve played here for so long.”
De Villiers though gave “advice” to any fan who wants a more lasting memory with him: go old school and ask for an autograph.
“Everyone wants a selfie these days but there’ll be this one person who wants an autograph. I love it. It has such an old-school touch.”
De Villiers has had an excellent 2018 IPL campaign to date, scoring 378 runs at an immense strike rate of 178.
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