AB de Villiers lauds Virat Kohli for leading his team into the final

Indian team started off their Champions Trophy campaign under a new captain Virat Kohli. Being handed over the captaincy by one of the greatest captains of all time, he is definitely walking in his shoes and has led India a match close to winning their second title in a row.

Steven Smith, Eoin Morgan, Kane Willamson are other soon to be legends of the game who captained their national teams but have been ousted from the tournament. What Virat has done with the Indian team none of them could replicate despite the fact that they are all equally good cricketers skill wise in their respective suits.

Privilege to play alongside Kohli

Talking about other the other teams who were eliminated from the tournamnet, AB de Villiers said, “As South Africa captain, I know how they feel.”

The pillar of South African cricket at the moment is a close mate of his Indian counterpart Virat Kohli and he didn’t miss praising Virat’s captaincy and his dedication towards the game which has eventually led his side to be in a great position to lift the title.

“At 28, he is at the peak of his powers, surely the outstanding cricketer in the world today. I have been privileged to play alongside him in the last six Indian Premier League tournaments and, as his team-mate at Royal Challengers Bangalore, have seen at first hand not only his extraordinary skill as a batsman but also the energy and intensity that he brings to the game,” de Villiers said.

Batting attributes

He further dug deep into the attributes the 28-year-old Indian skipper brings out while batting.

“Virat is a consummate surgeon at the crease, intensely focused, working hard, playing the ball into gaps in the field and staying calm under pressure. He is always judging the right time to consolidate and the right time to seize a game by the scruff of the neck,” he added.

Virat Kohli wasn’t coming in this year’s Champions Trophy on the back of some great form but was rather struggling to get his rhythm back as he didn’t have a great Test series against Aussies and wasn’t his usual self in the IPL. However, in the Champions Trophy, he has played three brilliant knocks and has remained not out in all three of them, which speaks volumes about his character and his composure while playing for the national team.

De Villiers believes that Virat is blessed with natural talent and has the hunger to perform every time he steps onto the field. “He has been blessed with wonderful natural talent but, as ever among high achievers, his talent is underpinned by a willingness to work hard,” he said.

He also expressed that what the populous doesn’t see is the relentless training and the hard work he puts in to be the best.

“Unseen, he is determined and relentless in training, remaining in the nets as long as necessary to ensure he feels comfortable with every aspect of his game. I have watched him rehearse his strokes over and over again, until sweat is pouring from his brow, never stopping until he is satisfied,” he concluded.