New Delhi: India great Virat Kohli has led the plaudits for ICC Hall of Famer AB de Villiers, penning a letter to the South African legend upon his induction.
Kohli has hailed friend and former teammate AB de Villiers as the "most talented cricketer" he has played with after the South African legend was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.
Joining England great Alastair Cook and Indian women's pioneer Neetu David in the latest class of inductees, de Villiers finished his career with over 20,000 runs across the three international formats, and is regarded as one of the first true three-format batting greats.
Averaging over 50 in the two longer formats and striking at over 135 in the third, all while showcasing athletic prowess in the field and with the gloves, de Villiers stands alone as a key figure in cricket's modern evolution, a sentiment echoed by Kohli, a great in his own right.
"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," Kohli penned in a letter to de Villiers upon the South African's induction.
"People have always spoken about your ability, and rightly so. You are the most talented cricketer I have played with, the absolute number one," he said.
Kohli has a rare insight on de Villiers, not only going toe-to-toe in several international series and tournaments as opponents, but also sharing a Royal Challengers Banglaore dressing room from 2011 to 2021.
India's great paid tribute to de Villiers' self-belief in tricky situations while batting together in the heat of the Indian Premier League, and the lessons he learned from the Proteas legend, an ICC report said.
"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," Kohli said.
"We were chasing 184 (for RCB in 2016) against an attack including Sunil Narine, Morne Morkel, Andre Russell and Shakib Al Hasan. You came in to join me with around 70 on the board and Narine was bowling," he said.
"You played and missed a couple and told me during a timeout that you weren’t picking him too well. I felt I was, so I remember telling you to give me the strike and I would try and hit boundaries off him," Kohli said.
"In the first over Narine bowled after the timeout, I was ready at the non-striker’s end thinking you were definitely giving me a single. So, imagine my surprise when you back away to the leg side, Sunil follows you and you slog sweep him over square leg for a 94-metre six," he said.
"If I have a lack of belief against someone, I’d just try and get off strike – but you hit him for a 94-metre six without picking the ball. That sums you up. You could just do things our minds were not ready to process, and then everyone thinks ‘how the hell did that happen?’" Kohli said.
De Villiers' white-ball exploits are well-documented, underlined by holding the record of the fastest-ever men’s ODI century and multiple ICC Men’s ODI Player of the Year Awards, though his work in red-ball cricket was also refelected by ICC Test Team of the Year selection on four occasions, and as the 12th player of the side in 2012.
While able to accelerate when needed, de Villiers had a reputation for being resolute, grinding through tough periods for his team in Test cricket. In 2008, de Villiers made an unbeaten 106
not out in a near five-hour stay in South Africa's successful chase of 414 against Australia, and
in the corresponding 2012 Tour, made a 220-ball 33 to help his side save an Adelaide Test match.
Kohli recalled a similar de Villiers effort in Delhi from 2015 as a reference to the South African's concentration and belief to batten down the hatches where required.
"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," Kohli recalled.
"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," he 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," Kohli said.
"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 said.
"A lot of players can have impressive numbers but very few have an impact on the psyche of those watching. For me, that is the highest value you can have as a cricketer and that is what makes you so special," Kohli said.
Kohli goes on to credit de Villiers for lessons on the mental side of the game, most notably looking ahead to the future and not falling into the trap of dwelling on previous performances.
Having rarely endured a bad patch of form, it was the South African's approach and drive to be better that in turn has contributed to Kohli's success in the eyes of the India star, almost five years de Villiers' junior.
"Your drive to want to be the guy to win the game for your team was tremendous and something I learned a lot from," Kohli noted.
"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," he said.
When de Villiers retired from international cricket, he finished as South Africa's second-top run-scorer across the international formats, with his tally only bettered by fellow Hall of Fame inductee Jacques Kallis.
Able to score around the ground with a full array of shots against all types of bowlers, de Villiers is regarded as both one of the most innovative and destructive batters in the modern game, and in Kolhi's mind, de Villiers abilities and outlook on the game are a yardstick for what can be achieved in future generations of international cricket.
"A lot of players can have impressive numbers but very few have an impact on the psyche of those watching. For me, that is the highest value you can have as a cricketer and that is what makes you so special," Kohli continued.
"You are in the Hall of Fame for the impact you have left on the game and I don’t think there is anything more special for a cricketer than to have that honour," Kohli said.
"You are one of the greatest players to ever play the game," he added.