AB de Villiers compares Kohli to a surgeon

06/17/2017

India will play against Pakistan in the final of the Champions Trophy on Sunday and the whole country wants that the Indian skipper Virat Kohli led from the front. South African skipper de Villiers feels that Kohli likes high-pressure matches and he will once again prove himself on the big stage.

The South African player talked about the big match on Sunday and showed his confidence on the 28-year-old Indian. “He is a consummate surgeon at the crease, intensely focussed, 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.”

AB de Villiers shared the dressing room with Kohli while playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, where he had the opportunity to observe the Indian batsman from close quarters. “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 wrote in his column for BBC.

“He has been blessed with wonderful natural talent but, as ever among high achievers, his talent is underpinned by a willingness to work hard. 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 revealed.

While on-field people see an aggressive Kohli, ABD disclosed the humorous side of the No. 1 ranked ODI batsman, “Intense and serious in matches and at practice, he retains the invaluable ability to switch off from the game, relaxing, laughing and joking at every opportunity. He enjoys calling people by playful nicknames and he can find humour in almost every situation, even when we are spending hour after hour at another photo shoot, waiting for the photographer to be ready, then being told how and where to pose, then waiting some more, then being told we have to start the process all over again.“While some of his teammates are getting frustrated and struggling to be patient and composed, Virat will find something funny and deftly defuse the situation. So he continues to thrive, and so his Indian team continue to enjoy remarkably consistent success at ICC tournaments,” he said.

The 33-year-old also mentioned an incident which revealed how long Kohli wants to play the game of cricket.

“Not long ago, on the morning after an away match in the Indian Premier League, I arrived at breakfast in the hotel to find Virat sitting on his own. We started chatting about the game of cricket, a little about the pressures and the expectations... but mostly we spoke about the fantastic privilege to play for and to captain your country, and we agreed that we should savour every moment of what, to be honest, remains a special and wonderful way to make a living. Virat is five years younger than me, so I asked him: "How long do you think you will keep playing the game?" He responded instantly, eyes alight. "I'm going to play forever," he said, his face breaking into a broad smile,” he revealed.

AB de Villiers compares Kohli to a surgeon

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