Virat Kohli pays tribute to ‘team player’ De Villiers after Hall of Fame induction

In an open letter to the inductees by those close to them, Kohli heaped praise on de Villiers, describing him as “the most talented cricketer” he has played with.

FILE PHOTO: RCB captain Virat Kohli, celebrates with AB de Villiers after a wicket during the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019 match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab. | Photo Credit: MURALI KUMAR K/ The Hindu

Virat Kohli paid a glorious tribute to former Royal Challengers Bengaluru teammate AB de Villiers on his induction to the ICC Hall of Fame.

De Villiers was included in the prestigious list along with England legend Alastair Cook and India’s Neetu David.

In an open letter to the inductees by those close to them, Kohli heaped praise on de Villiers, describing him as “the most talented cricketer” he has played with.

“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 said via the letter.

“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 eagerness to uphold the game’s values as the qualities that influenced the long legion of fans he entertained.

“A lot of players can have impressive numbers but very few have an impact on the psyche of those watching,” he wrote.

“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 also paid tribute to the South African batter’s ability to bring the best out of him during tough situations.

“It was never about someone else. It was never about competing with another player,” he said. “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 wrote.

Kohli also credited de Villiers with teaching him the importance of not resting on the success earned.

“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.” “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 dressing room with de Villiers for a decade from 2011-2021, said the former Protea skipper’s ‘self-belief’ was one trait that stood out for him.

Royal Challengers Bangalore batsmen AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli run between the wickets during an IPL 2020 match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, at Dubai. | Photo Credit: PTI

“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 said.

Kohli also recounted memories of the 2015 Test in New Delhi, where De Villiers along with 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 inputs from PTI