A letter to AB de Villiers, from Virat Kohli

Media release

Following the ICC Hall of Fame announcement on 16 October 2024, open letters have been written to the inductees by those close to them, with their reactions to the news. Here, Virat Kohli writes to inductee #115, AB de Villiers.

To AB,

It is an honour to be selected to write these words as you enter the ICC Hall of Fame.

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.

People have always spoken about your ability, and rightly so. You are the most talented cricketer I have played with, the absolute number one.

But what truly stood out to me was your belief in that ability. 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.

There is no better example in my mind than when we were batting together for RCB in Kolkata in 2016.

We were chasing 184 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.

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.

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!

I don’t know what happened in the timeout to give you the belief you could do that. I just remember saying to you, “you’re a freak!”

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?’.

That is just one of so many fond memories I have batting alongside you, times which provided some of the most fun I have had on a cricket field.

When we ran between the wickets, for example, we never called for runs. It’s a very difficult thing to explain practically but there is a feeling to it.

There was a complete understanding of where the ball was going and nothing needed to be said. Fielders were always under pressure when we were batting. I don’t ever remember missing a two with you or being in a position to be run out. It was amazing, as if we understood so perfectly that we were always on the same page.

Through my time playing with and against you, you always had a very clear understanding of how the game should be played and you never really veered from that, regardless of whether you were doing well or not.

It was never about someone else. It was never about competing with another player. It was always about what impact you could create for the team. In difficult situations, you were the man bailing out your team more often than not.

Your drive to want to be the guy to win the game for your team was tremendous and something I learned a lot from. 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Congratulations, biscotti. You are one of the greatest players to ever play the game.

Virat