‘Don’t say a word to Virat Kohli’: AB de Villiers’ retort amid Sunil Gavaskar’s criticism

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) stalwart Virat Kohli has come under heavy criticism for his performance in the first half of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) campaign. As RCB lost 7 of the first 8 games of the tournament, Kohli was one of the players blamed for the team’s poor performance, with his strike rate becoming a constant point of discussion. Even the great Sunil Gavaskar attacked Virat for his lack of intention, which also drew a response from the RCB star. Now, AB de Villiers has also joined the debate, saying that he did not like seeing Virat in the firing line.

De Villiers, in a chat on Jio Cinema, even recalled his own experience of playing against Kohli, saying that his message to his teammates would be “don’t say anything to Virat”, as criticism seems to get the best of him.

“I thought it was… very bad for someone like that, a hero and a model for the country, to receive so much criticism around this. But the way I know him, I just knew and that’s exactly what I mentioned on my show. I said, guys, you have no idea what happens to this guy when he receives criticism. I played against him many years ago, I told the players in the team room, you don’t say a word to Virat. on the pitch because he will go out and score 100 points if you try to cheer him up”, De Villiers was quoted as saying by Hindustan Times.

“Maybe it was a blessing in disguise to receive some criticism, because things like that motivate you a lot,” he added.

Talking about Virat’s role in the T20 World Cup, De Villiers even went against the popular suggestion, saying that the batsman should not open the innings alongside Rohit Sharma and continue to occupy the number three spot.

“I feel he is the number three batsman and that is where he has the most impact. He is almost like the captain of the batting team wherever he goes. He maintains his calm and composure within the batting unit,” said the former captain of South Africa.

“I know Virat himself really likes to open up, which is great. You have to respect that coming from a man who has played this game for many years. He understands his game very well and also understands what he wants from it.

“But if I was playing a TV game, Xbox, he would be third on my team. I feel there is too much risk in these first few overs to ask Virat to continue the game, to hit the ball in the air. All I want him to do is bat between 4 and 16-17, somewhere in there.

“I think that’s where he’s the best in the world and that’s where he has the most impact,” he said.