Former South African cricketer and ex-Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) player AB de Villiers has addressed recent headlines regarding his right eye condition during the last 2-3 years of his Indian Premier League (IPL) career. After revealing in Wisden’s Cricket Monthly that he played with a detached retina, de Villiers clarified the situation on his YouTube channel.
De Villiers explained that his comments had been taken out of context, emphasizing that it wasn’t a case of complete vision loss. He mentioned that there were instances of blurred vision, especially while batting, and he would often test his eyesight using the scoreboard during matches. The revelation, initially shared casually, unexpectedly became a headline.
Talked about my eye injury in yesterday’s live show. Since the story surfaced, thought it’s best if I exactly explain what happened. Thanks for all your concern and love, always. 🙏🏻✨
Full episode 🔗: https://t.co/UKKzLulUCu#CricketTwitter #360Live pic.twitter.com/nVXB2SdX9X
— AB de Villiers (@ABdeVilliers17) December 9, 2023
In his own words, de Villiers shared, “Later on, in the IPL the last 2-3 seasons I realised there was a bit of a blurry, blurred vision with my right eye. I was always testing it on the scoreboard. I was actually caught on the camera once, and I think the commentators mentioned something like, ‘yeah, he’s getting his eye in’.”
While the right eye struggled, de Villiers expressed gratitude that his left eye, the dominant one, performed well during his last few years in cricket. Despite the eye condition, he continued to contribute to RCB until his final season in 2021.
De Villiers, currently the ambassador for South Africa’s SA20, revealed that he might return to RCB in a management role in the future. The cricketing legend cited the challenges of the Covid-19 era as a significant factor in his decision to step away from franchise cricket.
