De Villiers motivated to 'be an example for youngsters back home'
De Villiers retired from international cricket in May 2018, but he has been actively involved in global Twenty20 leagues thereafter. The 35-year-old is currently representing Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2019 IPL and remains sharp on the field, impressing with his acrobatic efforts.
On Saturday, 13 April, de Villiers pinged a 38-ball 59* against Kings XI Punjab, which led Bangalore to their first win of the season.
"This kind of tournament, I'm playing every now and then, every 2-3 months. [It] really keeps me energetic," he said. "I get to work with university guys back home. With some of the local guys and local youngsters, which really gives me the energy and really motivates me to be better for some of the youngsters back home and be an example for them."
De Villiers also expressed his delight at being joined by countryman and good friend Dale Steyn. The fast bowler was signed up as replacement for the injured Nathan Coulter-Nile, and will be available for selection after Bangalore's next game, against Mumbai Indians.
"I think it was a fantastic move to get Dale involved," de Villiers gushed. "We all know what he's capable of. One thing is for sure, you'll get 200 per cent from him. He'll give his absolute best every single time he bowls for the team and it's just going to be great to have a guy of that calibre and another great human being in our team."
Mr. 360 adjudged the Man of the Match for his knock of 59* off 38 deliveries. Top knock, ABD 👌👌 pic.twitter.com/i6Go8z5vZi
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 13, 2019
Talking about RCB's chances of making the playoffs, de Villiers said: "Yes, we know what we have to do now - we have to win a lot of games of cricket, but the next step is Mumbai, at the Wankhede stadium. We love playing cricket there. We'll have to do our basics and bowl it up like we did today and, hopefully, more success is around the corner."