AB de Villiers Gets Diwali Gift Ahead of Landmark 100th Test
AB de Villiers will play his 100th Test for South Africa when they face India in Bengaluru on Saturday.
South Africa's Ab de Villiers got a personalised Diwali gift as Bengaluru FC COO Mustafa Ghouse, on Wednesday, presented him with a customised BFC jersey and with a lifetime membership card on Wednesday. (India vs South Africa: Despite Mohali Rout, Imran Tahir Keeps Chin up)
De Villiers, who will play his 100th Test match during the second game against India in Bengaluru, is one the most popular cricketing figures all over the world.
He was the lone South African batsman to show some sort of resistance during the first Test in Mohali which India won by 108 runs. He top-scored in the first innings with a 83-ball 63 out of a total of 184.
In the second innings though, he couldn't live up to his reputation of Mr 360 as he succumbed to Amit Mishra for 16.
Also a key member of the Royal Challengers Bangalore's batting unit, De Villiers boasts of an impressive tally of 7,685 runs at an healthy average of 51.93 with 21 centuries and 37 half-centuries from 99 Test matches.
Records galore for the wicket-keeper batsman as he earlier this year smashed the fastest hundred in One Day Internationals - off just 31 balls - during the second match against West Indies at Johannesburg. De Villiers hit a record-equalling 16 sixes and nine fours during his thunderous knock, breaking New Zealander Corey Anderson's record of a 36-ball ton in 2014.
Then in August, he raced past Sourav Ganguly to become the fastest to reach 8000 ODI runs.
Such is De Villiers' popularity that he leads the pack on a list of South African celebrities with the greatest number of Twitter followers with 2.68 million followers.
He returned to the top spot among ICC Test batsmen on Tuesday. He first achieved the feat in 2012 and was also No. 1 in January this year before Kumar Sangakkara upstaged him.