Kohli and De Villiers have enjoyed a close friendship both on and off the field for many years
Virat Kohli (R) and player AB De Villers walk back to the pavilion (Pic: AFP)
Virat Kohli on Wednesday described AB de Villiers as "the most talented cricketer" he has played with after the South African great was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.
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De Villers was included in the long list of great players along with England legend Alastair Cook and India's Neetu David.
In an open letter to the inductees by those close to them, Kohli was effusive in praise of his teammate at IPL side Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
"You are thoroughly deserving of your place ¿ after all, the Hall of Fame is a representation of your impact on the game, and yours has been truly unique," he wrote.
"People have always spoken about your ability, and rightly so. You are the most talented cricketer I have played with, the absolute number one."
Kohli described de Villiers' belief and doggedness to uphold the game's values as the qualities that had an impact on the psyche of those watching.
"A lot of players can have impressive numbers but very few have an impact on the psyche of those watching," he wrote.
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"For me, that is the highest value you can have as a cricketer and that is what makes you so special."
"Through my time playing with and against you, you always had a very clear understanding of how the game should be played and you never really veered from that, regardless of whether you were doing well or not," he added.
Kohli said de Villiers was someone who was bailing his teams out of troubles more often than not.
"It was never about someone else. It was never about competing with another player," he described.
"It was always about what impact you could create for the team. In difficult situations, you were the man bailing out your team more often than not.
"Your drive to want to be the guy to win the game for your team was tremendous and something I learned a lot from," he said.
Kohli said de Villiers taught him about the importance of not resting on laurels.
"I remember taking from you that it doesn't matter what you have done in the last four games, it is about how you approach the game today.
"It is about always being positive, always taking the game on and finding a way to get the job done."
Virat Kohli's letter to AB De Villiers congratulating him on being inducted into ICC Hall of Fame. 🤯❤️ pic.twitter.com/fFK5edfmKw
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) October 16, 2024
"You were always completely in tune with the needs of the team, which made you one of the hardest players to make plans for when we were on opposing sides in international cricket," he added.
Kohli, who shared the RCB dressing room with de Villiers for a decade from 2011-2021, said the former South African captain's 'self-belief' is one trait that stood out for him.
"But what truly stood out to me was your belief in that ability. You had a crazy amount of belief that you could execute whatever you wanted to on a cricket field, and you normally did. That is why you ended up being so special," he wrote.
Alongside recalling a special moment while playing together for RCB in a contest against Kolkata Knight Riders, Kohli also recollected memories of the 2015 Test in New Delhi, one in which the Proteas batters fought hard to force a draw.
"Everyone remembers your attacking shots but you would adapt to the situation. Take 2015, in Delhi, when you faced 297 balls and made 43 trying to save the Test match," Kohli said.
"There must have been a temptation at some stage to think 'I've faced 200 balls, I need to hit a boundary'. But once you locked yourself into what the situation required, you just kept going on and on.
"It all comes back to that belief in your ability. It wasn't just about the crazy, extravagant shots. You had the ability to defend the ball and had belief in that defence. To play that way because South Africa needed you to do so is a classic example of the team player you were," he added.
(With PTI inputs)
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