In a moving and sentimental moment, Punjab Kings batsman Shashank Singh left AB de Villiers speechless with a tale from way back in the 2016 T20 World Cup. The occasion came on a recent episode of de Villiers' hit podcast, AB de Villiers 360, where Shashank produced a vintage photo of himself standing alongside the South African icon — a real fan-to-hero full-circle experience.

In their casual conversation, Shashank remembered the day he met AB de Villiers in Mumbai when the South African team played a practice match against a local team. "You had visited Mumbai for the 2016 T20 World Cup and had played a warm-up game against us. I had made 20 odd runs from 12 balls and got bowled by Rabada. That day I had received an autographed t-shirt from you." This is a fan moment for me —I’m feeling extremely lucky right now,” Shashank shared, clearly emotional about the memory.

 

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by AB de Villiers (@abdevilliers17)

Also read: Kagiso Rabada honors Test cricket legends Virat Kohli and Hashim Amla with respectful tribut

AB de Villiers Commends Shashank's Tenacity and Journey

The great batter did not shy away from praising Shashank. Famous for enjoying tales of perseverance and grit, de Villiers opined, "I really admire you. The journey that you've been through and not giving up — that never-say-die spirit. I love people with that kind of attitude, and here you are today, and we're celebrating you.

De Villiers even promised that he'll be closely monitoring the Indian batter's future. "I've got my eye on you, and I'll be following your journey with lots of interest," he said.

Shashank Singh has actually been one of the standout performers for PBKS in IPL 2025. His explosive finishing has seen him accumulate 214 runs in 11 games this season at a strike rate of 142.66 and an average of 53.50. Overall, he has 637 IPL runs from 35 games with three half-centuries and a staggering strike rate above 150.

This wholesome dialogue was not merely a testament to how far Shashank has traveled but also an appreciation of cricket's ability to instill and unite the generations.