De Villiers family soaks in the moment

BENGALURU: As a medical practitioner, Abraham Benjamin de Villiers Sr wanted his son AB to focus on academics rather than sports. For AB, however, sport - particularly cricket, as it turned out - was a passion and it soon turned out to be his platform for greater glory.
The flamboyant South African batsman, who made his Test debut against England at Port Elizabeth in 2004, completed a century of Test appearances on Saturday at the M Chinnaswamy stadium.What made the milestone even more memorable for De Villiers was the presence of his family members, who had flown in from Pretoria on Friday to be with him on this special day.
Cheering the batsman from the stands was his father, his mother Millie, wife Danielle, her parents and his four-month-old son Abraham. AB Jr sported a person alized white Test jersey with `AB 100' inscribed on his hat to celebrate his father's achievement.
De Villiers is no stranger to Bengaluru, given the massive fan following he has thanks to his superlative show for IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore. Fittingly, he was given a rousing reception at the Chinnaswamy when he walked in and was cheered throughout his 159-minute innings. "It's his (IPL) home ground and it's great to see that the crowd loves him.Since he plays a lot of matches here for RCB, Bengaluru is home away from home for him. Making his 100th Test appearance in a nice city like Bengaluru is special for all of us," De Villiers Sr said.
De Villiers fell short of a century by 15 runs, but his fighting knock helped keep South Africa afloat. "I'm a bit disappointed but cricket goes on. I think he was hurrying towards his hundred because wickets kept falling," De Villiers Sr said.
The youngest of three siblings, De Villiers was raised in the small town of Warmbad, in the north of South Africa, where he learned to play cricket in the backyard with his brothers. De Villiers did exceptionally well in many sports such as swimming, athletics, tennis, badminton and rugby before taking up cricket seriously.
Asked about his son's childhood, De Villiers Sr said: "I went to university, so that was my priority for him - he should have a future in academics. I wanted him to have a science degree. I knew he had something special, not just in cricket but in most of the sports he played.
"I'm proud that he excelled in what he chose. Evaluating it (the choice) now, he's a team guy. He's not someone who can take up an individual sport."