AB de Villiers praises Virat Kohli

     Written by : SMTV24x7 | Sun, Jun 18, 2017, 12:31 PM

AB de Villiers praises Virat Kohli

London June 18: AB de Villiers, South Africa's ODI captain, has been praised Indian Skipper Virat Kohli, here on Saturday, ahead of India-Pakistan match.

De Villiers's said in statement that "There are a few people who would love to be standing in Virat Kohli's shoes this weekend, leading their national team into the final of Champions Trophy, and there is no doubt the captain of India will be relishing the prospect of Sunday's final against Pakistan at The Oval,"


De Villiers, who faces questions about his own pressure-handling abilities, lauded Kohli for his propensity to wade through all the tripe and keep delivering, match after match, and on the best of days.

"Virat has learned to live with these realities... and also to accept the burden of unrealistic expectation that he should score runs every time he reaches the crease, and that his team should win every time they take the field.

"Beyond the golden talent and the iron determination, Virat has learned how to cope with the pressures of his exalted position.

"... while the disappointed captains of eliminated teams must accept the reality of recriminations and a social media backlash, Virat has managed to guide his team through to the final and now, once again, stands centre stage for the showpiece occasion," de Villiers writes.

"Pakistan bowlers will realize the paramount importance of controlling Virat"

Talking about the big match on Sunday, de Villiers reiterated the importance of Kohli's wicket for Pakistan, a team that knows the threat of Virat perhaps more than any other.

"India's batting order is decorated with many brilliant talents, but the Pakistan bowlers will realize the paramount importance of controlling Virat on Sunday.