AB de Villiers reveals how he switches off from cricket

Cricket nowadays rarely gives players an opportunity to relax. With so much cricket to play, the players remain busy throughout the year. Perhaps this was the reason why AB de Villiers decided to end his international career abruptly in 2018. The right-handed batsman was showing absolutely no signs of slowing down on the field but still decided to bring an end to his illustrious career all of a sudden. At the time of his retirement, De Villiers had said he was tired which played a big role in convincing him to walk away from the national team.

With ample time in his hands now, De Villiers spends quality time with his young family and is relaxing to the fullest. The legendary batsman does play franchises cricket in different parts of the world but that is not comparable to the gruelling nature of international cricket. Well, De Villiers recently spoke about what he does to switch off. The former South Africa skipper made an appearance on chat show Breakfast with Champions and revealed what he does to refresh himself.

De Villiers said he is deeply connected with nature and loves to spend time in the close vicinity of nature. The right-handed batsman said he loves to spend time in the ‘small town’ where he was born as well as his father-in-law’s farm.

“I’ve got a deep connection with nature. I love spending time in the Bushveld up north in Africa. I grew up in a small town. My parents still live there, so I’ll go there as often as I can just to switch off,” said De Villiers.

Father-in-law’s got a farm as well with some wildlife in it. There’s really nothing better than just go sit there for a weekend and do nothing. Connect with nature, watch the animals run free and spend time with the family. When it rains in the afternoon, I’ve got a big connection with little things like that. That’s what makes me feel alive,” he added.

Spending time with family

AB de Villiers, who recently turned up for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, further said that another way of switching off from the game for him is to spend time with his family. A doting father, de Villiers said his family is the number one priority and that he loves to connect with other people.

“Spending time with my wife, my family is obviously number one priority and most enjoyable thing I’ve ever done. I promise you it’s the craziest thing. Things that I’ve really done, enjoyed doing all of a sudden I love. Because I’m doing it with them. It’s weird how that works. And changing my own kids’ nappies is like it’s a pleasure. It’s an absolute joy. I love serving other people and connecting with people,” said De Villiers.

Here is the full episode