New Delhi. Former Team India captain Virat Kohli praised legendary South African cricketer AB de Villiers. Kohli described De Villiers as a very talented player. De Villiers has been inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame along with England legend Alastair Cook and India's Neetu David. In an open letter, Kohli praised his former teammate from IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore. Kohli wrote, 'You fully deserve your place – after all, the Hall of Fame represents your impact on the game and your contribution has been truly unique.'
Virat Kohli wrote, 'People have always been talking about your ability and it is right too. You are the most talented cricketer I have played with, you are definitely number one. Kohli described AB de Villiers' belief and tenacity in upholding the values ​​of the game as qualities that had an impact on the mindset of the spectators. He wrote, 'Many players can perform impressively but very few players are able to impact the mentality of the audience. That's the biggest value for me as a cricketer and that's what makes you so special. Playing with you and against you, you always had a very clear understanding of how the game should be played and you never deviated from it, whether you were performing well or not.
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'Often rescues his team from difficulties'
Kohli said that De Villiers is such a player who often rescues his team from difficulties. The Indian star cricketer said, 'It was never about anyone else. It was never about competing with another player. It was always about what impact you could make for the team. You were often the one to rescue your team in difficult situations. Your desire to be the one to win the game for your team was tremendous and I learned a lot from it. Kohli said that De Villiers taught him about the importance of not being satisfied with one's achievements.
'It was always difficult to plan against you'
He said, 'I remember learning from you that whatever you have done in the last four matches does not matter. It's about how you look at today's match. It's about always being positive, always pushing the game and finding a way to get the job done. You were always completely in tune with the needs of the team. This is the reason why when we were in opposing teams in international cricket, it was most difficult for you to plan. Kohli, who shared the dressing room with de Villiers at Royal Challengers Bangalore from 2011-2021, said the former South Africa captain's 'confidence' is a quality that is most important to him.
Someone praised his innings played in 2015
Kohli also recalled the memories of the Test match played in New Delhi in 2015 in which the South African batsmen worked hard to draw the match. Kohli said, 'Everyone remembers your aggressive shots but you adapt yourself according to the situation. Take the Test match played in Delhi in 2015 when you faced 297 balls and scored 43 runs in an attempt to save the Test match. He said, 'At some point of time you might have thought that if I have faced 200 balls then I should hit boundaries. But once you put yourself in the situation that required it, you just kept going. It all depends on confidence in your abilities. It was not just about indiscriminate shots. You had the ability to protect the ball and you had confidence in that defense. Playing like this as per the needs of South Africa is a great example of your being a team player.'When De Villiers came out to bat, the bowlers used to forget their line length. He has scored the fastest century in ODI.
Tags: AB De Villiers, Virat Kohli
FIRST PUBLISHED : October 16, 2024, 9:56 PM IST
