JOIN US'AB is different when he's not playing'
When Royal Challengers Bangalore played their first match this season against the Delhi Daredevils, one could hear the loud cheers that greeted AB de Villiers when he came out to bat. Also cheering alongside was his girlfriend Danielle Swart, who recently flew down from South Africa to watch her man in action.
When Metrolife met up with Danielle on her maiden visit to the country, one could see how overwhelmed she was seeing the crowd at the stadium. While she was aware of the cricket craze in India, this was not something she expected. “I literally got goosebumps when I heard all the cheering. It’s really infectious and really loud,” she explains.
When she decided to come down to India this year, Danielle says that a lot of people told her a lot of different things about the place. “My friends, who have come here before, told me how different the culture is here and even about the various stratas of society that exist here. But I wanted to experience the country in my own way and now I’m waiting to see the various cities and try out different things,” she adds.
Though Danielle has been dating AB for just a year now, she has known him as a friend for over five years. “Our families are really good friends. In fact, I first met AB in my dad’s farm and over the years I really got to know him and respect him a lot,” she says.
After all these years of knowing AB, Danielle describes him as a passionate person. “He is so different when he is not playing. I love his sense of humour and the way he connects with his family. He is a family-oriented man and is very close to them and shares everything with them, which is a rare quality these days,” she adds.
But if there is one thing Danielle has learnt from her man, it’s to follow her dream. “He is one of those few people who had a dream and ensured that it came true. And that’s really something I appreciate about him,” sums up Danielle.