“I was very happy that AB de Villiers knew my name, talked to him for an hour” - Shashank Singh reveals his cricketing idol [Exclusive]

AB de Villiers was arguably one of the most complete all-format batters of his time. The former South Africa captain's ability to seamlessly transition from one format to another captivated cricket enthusiasts for well over a decade.

Punjab Kings' batter Shashank Singh recently expressed his fondness for de Villiers. The 33-year-old said that he considers the Pretoria-born as his idol and revealed that he always wanted to bat like him. Shashank also recalled an interview he had with de Villiers, where

he told him about the level of admiration he has for him.

I like AB de Villiers a lot. I always consider him my idol. Especially the way he used to play white ball. So AB de Villiers is one such person. I like to see him play a lot. And I had an interview with him, the way he talked, I felt that I wanted to be like him.
I told him that you are my idol and I am a big fan of yours, and that's why I want to be like you. You play a lot of shots, and I don’t think I can play all those, because in the world, there are very few people who can play like that. But your mindset, your intention, that's what I want to learn from you," Shashank said during an exclusive chat with CricTracker.

I didn't think that AB de Villiers would know my name: Shashank

Shashank admitted that he was elated to find out that de Villiers knew his name. The flamboyant batter also spoke about an incident from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 final between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Punjab Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Shashank said that de Villiers, who had arrived at the colossal stadium to watch the match, told someone that he could change the game. The Bhilai-born explained how much the remark meant to him.

"So I talked to him for an hour. And he knew about it. And I was very happy that he knew my name. Because 10 years ago, or 5 years ago, I didn't think that AB de Villiers would know my name. So it was a big thing for me. He knew my name. He came to our final match this year. He came to watch the match. Obviously, I told him that when I was batting, he told someone that this guy can change the game. I mean, again, it was a compliment. Sometimes, such compliments touch you a lot. So I mean, AB de Villiers is your idol, and he was saying that I can change the game. I felt very good that I am in the right direction. I am on the right path," he added.