AB de Villiers lauds Virat Kohli, compares him to Tiger Woods, Roger Federer and Lionel Messi

AB de Villiers has consistently shown admiration for his former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) teammate, Virat Kohli. Even after retirement, the bond between these two stars remains strong.

On his Youtube channel, de Villiers did a special show on Kohli's 500th international game, where the South African expressed his admiration for the former India captain, drawing parallels to sporting legends like Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

De Villiers shared, “One thing stands out I see a similar thing in the greatest sportsmen worldwide. I have seen Tiger Woods, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, Djokovic, the list goes on. You mention anyone all of them have one thing in common which is desire, hunger and a fighting spirit. The desire to never give up they want to win the medals they want to be the champions you see Ronaldo and Messi that’s the thing that makes Virat Kohli the best in the business.”

Both de Villiers and Kohli share a fierce aversion to losing, and de Villiers explained, “He hates losing so do I and some of the greatest sports people that’s what drives them to work harder than the guy next to them to get one inch on them."

Beyond his on-field persona, de Villiers also lauded Kohli's kindness and generosity, stating, “He actually got a beautiful heart I can call myself lucky to witness that first hand not a lot of people get the opportunity not only to see the emotional fighter of a guy on the field. He is a softie off the field. He makes time for people and he always has a helping hand for whoever is in need.”