AB de Villiers paid tribute to outgoing captain Virat Kohli after the latter’s nine-year stint as skipper of the team ended with a four-wicket loss to Kolkata Knight Riders in the Eliminator of the 2021 Indian Premier League.
Outgoing Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) captain Virat Kohli has had a bigger impact than he will understand, said long-time teammate AB de Villiers in the dressing room after their 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign ended with a loss to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Eliminator on Monday.
AB de Villiers Paid Tribute To Outgoing RCB Skipper Virat Kohli
The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) stalwart has only managed scores of 0, 12, 11, 4*, 23, 19*, 26, and 11 in the 8 matches ever since the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League began at the UAE after a four-month postponement due to Covid-19 in India. On the other hand, he has scored 313 runs in 15 IPL 2021 games averaging 31.3.
“I have been here through all the years with Virat as captain and I think the word that comes to mind is ‘grateful’. We were very lucky to have had you at the front,” said De Villiers.
“The way you captained this team has inspired everyone, certainly inspired me to become better as a player and a person. You have had a much bigger impact than you will ever understand, it has gone miles.”
“There are stories that you don’t even hear of people’s lives that you have touched. I have known you on the field but away from it as well. You make people believe in themselves, which is much more important than winning a trophy. Which I still believe will come your way,” he said.
Virat Kohli took over as RCB’s full-time captain in 2013 and led them in 140 matches, winning 66 and losing as many as 70. However, despite scoring plenty during his reign as captain, Virat Kohli was not able to win silverware for RCB. Virat Kohli took RCB to the playoffs four times, including the last two seasons, but they have faltered at the big stages.
With 38 fifties and 5 hundred to his name, Virat Kohli has had a pretty good run with the bat for RCB as captain since taking over the reins from Daniel Vettori in 2013. Virat Kohli is the highest run-scorer in IPL history, with 6283 runs in 207 matches averaging 37.39 with 5 tons and 42 fifties.
AB de Villiers Congratulated Virat Kohli For A Great Captaincy Career
Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers have had a number of memorable moments on the field, notably a 229-run partnership they shared against Gujarat Lions in the 2016 IPL. The partnership came in just 97 balls, and both Virat Kohli (109 off 55 balls) and AB de Villiers (129 off 52 balls) struck centuries.
“I think some of the umpires will sleep a bit better,” De Villiers joked. “Very happy for them. But congrats on a great captaincy career and I look forward to you winning more trophies for us and for India.”
After being put in to bat, RCB smashed GL bowlers and posted a huge total of 248/3. AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli scored centuries and shared a double-century stand. Gujarat Lions’ batsmen fell to the scoreboard pressure and were bowled out for just 104 runs.
Virat Kohli had said before the start of the UAE leg of the 2021 IPL that he would be stepping down as RCB’s captain at the end of the season.