New Delhi. Former Indian team captain Virat Kohli praised South African legend AB de Villiers. Kohli described de Villiers as a very talented player. De Villiers has been included in 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. You are the most talented cricketer I have played with, you are definitely number one.' Kohli described de Villiers' (AB de Villiers) belief and perseverance in maintaining the values ​​of the game as qualities that had an impact on the mindset of the audience. He wrote, 'Many players can perform impressively but very few players can influence the mindset of the audience. For me, this is the biggest value as a cricketer and this is what makes you so special. While 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.'

'Often rescues his team from difficulties'
Kohli said that de Villiers is 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 on the team. In difficult situations, you were often the person to rescue your team. Your desire to be the person who won 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 his achievements.

'It was always difficult to plan against you'
He said, 'I remember I learned from you that whatever you have done in the last four matches does not matter. It is about how you look at today's match. It is always about being positive, always taking the game forward, and finding a way to get the job done. You were always in complete sync with the needs of the team. That is why it was most difficult to plan against you when we were in opposing teams in international cricket.' Kohli, who shared the dressing room with de Villiers at Royal Challengers Bangalore from 2011-2021, said that the former South African captain's 'confidence' is a quality that is most important to him.

Some praised his innings played in 2015
Kohli also recalled the memories of the Test match played in New Delhi in 2015 in which 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 in time, the thought must have come to your mind that I have faced 200 balls, so I should hit a boundary. But once you put yourself in the position that was needed, you just kept moving forward. It all depends on your belief in your ability. It was not just about blind shots. You could defend the ball and you had faith in that defense. Playing in this manner according to South Africa's requirement is a great example of you being a team player.'When de Villiers used to come out to bat, bowlers used to forget their line length. He has scored the fastest century in ODIs.