AB de Villiers talks about his heroic feat of playing two years with detached retina

AB de Villiers, former South African cricket legend, etched his name in the annals of the sport with unparalleled greatness. Renowned for his versatility, he seamlessly transitioned between roles, excelling as a batter, wicketkeeper, and captain. His explosive batting style featured audacious strokes and innovative shot-making, earning him acclaim as one of the most entertaining players. 

De Villiers’ extraordinary achievements include holding records for the fastest ODI century and the fastest fifty in T20I, solidifying his legacy as a cricketing maestro. Meanwhile, the legend recently made a shocking and unheard revelation as he said that he played the last 2 years of his career with a detached retina.

“My youngster accidentally kicked me on my eye with his heel. I started really losing vision in the right eye. When I got the surgery done the doctor actually asked me, ‘How in the world did you play cricket like this?’. Luckily my left eye did a decent job for the last two years of my career,” De Villiers was quoted as saying by Crictracker.

It took me a while to get over that: AB de Villiers 

De Villiers also reflected on the impact of COVID-19 and the lingering disappointment from the 2015 ODI World Cup. The setback led him to question his commitment and the team culture. After a hiatus in 2018, he returned briefly for Test cricket, aiming to conclude his career without much fanfare.

“Covid certainly played a role, there’s no doubt about it. From an international perspective, the 2015 World Cup hurt big time. It took me a while to get over that and then, when I got back into the side and I was ready to commit, I didn’t feel the same culture that I really needed at that time,” said De Villiers.

“I often found myself thinking, I don’t know, eh? Could this be the end of my career? I didn’t even really want to play IPL or anything else. I got away from everything in 2018 and then decided to push one more time with a bit of Test cricket, to try and beat India and Australia over here, and then I’ll call it. I didn’t want any spotlight on me. I just wanted to say, ‘I had a great time, thank you very much’,” he added.