ab de villars

After dating for a while, the South African cricketer, in early 2012, decided to propose Danielle for marriage. Before leaving for a tour to New Zealand, he arranged to meet with her parents and asked for her hand. They turned out to be really supportive, even helping him find a ring for Danielle before the start of the IPL that year.

It was during the IPL that De Villiers elaborately planned a pleasant surprise for Danielle. He chose Taj Mahal as the venue for the all-important question, ‘the ideal place to get engaged', as De Villiers wrote.

He arranged a trip to the marble mausoleum during one of the match breaks, asking Jim Rydell and Kalveer Biradar to travel with them. Both were part of the RCB setup and were accompanying the couple to record the series of events that De Villiers had so painstakingly planned, oblivious to his would-be wife.

After a 212 km drive from Delhi to Agra, the group reached the monument at the stroke of evening. De Villiers beautifully describes how ‘Danielle looked fantastic' in a simple white dress. Jim and Kalveer were stationed behind trees, ready to capture the moment.

It was then that AB decided to take the plunge, he sat down on one knee, ‘his heart pounding'.

Danielle Bowls A Googly