AB de Villiers on cricket during lockdown

The AB in your name stands for ‘Abraham Benjamin’. What do most people call you?

Well, usually they just call me AB. As a child ‘Abraham Benjamin’ was always quite difficult to say quickly, so everyone shortened it to just AB. But I have had quite a few nicknames over the years, from my family and my brothers and those on my team.

What were some of those nicknames?
A lot of guys in cricketing circles called be ‘Abbas’. Greg Smith the former Proteas captain started calling me that and then it stuck. That one makes sense kind of because of the initials, but there are others that don’t really make any sense. Mark Boucher calls me ‘Bunk’, Virat Kohli calls be ‘biscuit’ or ‘biscotti’. Not many of them make sense, but when you spend a lot of time with certain people nicknames just sort of crop up.

It has been a difficult year for everyone. As it comes to an end, is there anything you learned about yourself?
It has been a tough year. At first getting to spend some time at home was fantastic, but three or four months later it wasn’t so funny. I really learned the value of patience, especially when you are effectively locked in your house. Over the year I often thought about Nelson Mandela, and what he had to go through. I remember reading some of his books and realizing how powerful a regular routine can be. So we as a family tried to stick to a routine day in and day out.

What did a regular day in lockdown look like for you?
Well, like other parents around the world I have had to do home schooling with the kids. So we always tried and get them up at a reasonable hour, and not fall into the trap of letting them stay up late and sleep in. Then it’s about getting some healthy food into them, and going right into schoolwork. At around lunchtime I would get a break for a few hours and my wife would take over, and that’s when I would do some training and stuff around the house.

I think taking turns was quite important, it allowed both of us as parents to stay mentally fresh not just for our kids, but for each other. After that, we’d spend some time in the garden outside, then dinner and then bedtime for the kids. That’s when me and my wife got to spend some important time together, to connect over a movie or at the dinner table. And then rinse, repeat, and try and stay true to that routine as much as possible.

Are you a better cricketer or teacher?
Teaching your own children is very challenging. I must say I was good at times, but it can also be quite frustrating and difficult. My kids are quite young still, so some of the schoolwork was actually quite fun at times – going outside to collect sticks and leaves to make some art, for example. It was challenging and fun, but I think I’d like to stick to cricket.

Your place in cricketing history is pretty much set at this point. What is a moment from your career that you will remember the most fondly?
There are a few moments that stand out vividly. The first time I was called up to play for South Africa was quite special, and I will always remember getting together with the Proteas team at the University of Victoria and meeting some of my heroes – Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher, and Makhaya Ntini – the guys I would watch on the television screen, and all of a sudden they were in front of me welcoming me into the sport.

What about your time in India?
The first time I went to India it was a complete culture shock. It is so different, I don’t think I even knew places like that existed in the world. And then you start to get used to it, and really understand the energy of the country, the size of it, the noise, the food – it has this electric vibe to it.

Have you ever struggled in your professional cricketing career?
The 2015 World Cup was hard, when we lost in the semifinals to New Zealand. That was a very disappointing moment. The whole buildup to that day was stressful, and there was obviously lots of pressure. Not being able to get across the line that day was a big setback, and I really took it personally – which you should never do in sports. I struggled with it for a few years after that, and that feeling of loss stuck with me. Luckily, I worked through it. In sports you give it your best shot, you play a role, and if you don’t win it’s just one of those things, and you have to move on.

How has playing cricket without the crowds been?
It has been different, especially with me playing in the IPL. The crowds are usually huge when we play cricket. The first time I walked out it felt weird, but after a few minutes you get into the game – into the battle – and the competitive juices kick in. That’s when it feels like there are 50,000 people watching you. But I have to say, well done to the IPL and cricket organizers around the world for still making cricket happen. Then it’s up to us the players to entertain the people and still make them want to watch on television, and support the beautiful game of cricket.

Montblanc’s new slogan is ‘what moves you, makes you’. What moves you exactly?
I just think life in general to start off with. It is a fantastic journey just to go through live with people that you love; my wife and two sons. And there is another little one on the way now as well. All of that moves me, to see the world, to experience something different and taking it head on.

You are obviously well known for your cricket, but less people will be familiar with your musical career. Just recently a song you wrote called The Flame was performed by Karen Zoid. What drew you to music?
I grew up with music, I have been involved with music all my life – and I have embarrassed myself quite a few times as well. I had this opportunity to meet up with Karen Zoid, and she is one of the best artists of all time in South Africa – she is an amazing musician. She invited me to go to one of her shows, and before I knew it we were writing songs together. She sort of motivated me to keep going and stay with it, because I am quite shy when it comes to my music.  I love writing and I love playing the guitar, but she was the one who said, “Look, you are better than you think you are. Stop doubting yourself so much.” So I put myself out there, we wrote the song together and I think it has an inspirational message. Which is something everyone can do with given this tough year.

Did you ever bring your guitar on tour with you?
You know I used to. I used to bring the guitar and my golf clubs with me wherever I went, but I have ditched them because it’s too much hassle. I do travel with a little keyboard piano type thing, and I can change that to play guitar notes, or drums. So I do keep myself busy with music.

I heard a rumour that you could have been a professional rugby player if you had not gone in to cricket. Is that true?
I mean, we will never really know! I certainly showed potential in different sports at school, but in the last game of the season in my final year I dislocated my elbow. Although, by that time I had already decided to go into cricket. Tennis was my best sport, to be honest. I was playing tennis from the age of six with my Mum, and after that I was travelling the country and playing in tournaments.

So if you were so proficient in so many sports, why cricket?
I don’t know really. I obviously had some good results, and was picked up by school teams. But I don’t actually have an answer for that. It’s just the sport that I felt most confident in, or maybe it was because I had so many good mentors pushing me towards the sport. Or it could have just been that I enjoyed the team mentality of cricket, and the team I was playing with. So maybe that’s the reason.

AB de Villiers is a brand ambassador for Montblanc.