Latest news with #DeVilliers
India Today
13 hours ago
- Sport
- India Today
Virat Kohli followed his gut feel with Test retirement: AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers feels that Virat Kohli followed his gut feel when it came to retirement from Test cricket. Kohli decided to retire from Tests in May this year, just ahead of the announcement of the squad for the England tour. The Indian star played a total of 123 Tests and scored 9230 runs, with 30 hundreds and 31 fifties advertisementSpeaking at an NGO event in Mumbai, De Villiers said that Kohli had done a lot for a cricket around the globe over the years and the fans are lucky to see him still on the field. The former South African skipper feels that the Indian star will be missed in Test matches and has left a long-lasting legacy in red-ball cricket. "He followed his gut feel. I think he has done a lot for cricket around the world over the years. Luckily, we'll still see him on the cricket field. He will be missed in Test matches, there is no doubt about it, but he leaves (behind) a great legacy with the red ball," said De Villiers. 'Time for youngsters to step up' De Villiers feels that it is time for the younger guys to step up and credited IPL for the talent pool available in India. The former Proteas skipper said that the young Indian squad will need to take responsibility in England as it will be a tough test. De Villiers feels that the young team can achieve something special in England. advertisement"Yes, it's time for the younger guys to step up... Shubman Gill taking on the responsibility. There's lots of talent in India, and largely credit to the IPL for that, (it is) really giving great exposure to some of the youngsters at a very early age. We saw Vaibhav Suryavanshi this year (and) many other youngsters, they come in their first year and they look very mature and ready to play cricket, and it's a great platform for Indian cricket," De Villiers said."They've got to take some responsibility on in England, it'll be a tough test, but they have all the talent in the world and if they believe, maybe they can achieve something special," said De Villiers. India's tour of England will start on June 20. Tune InMust Watch
NDTV
16 hours ago
- Sport
- NDTV
AB de Villiers Ends Virat Kohli Test Retirement Debate, Explains Why India Star Quit
Since Virat Kohli announced his decision to quit Test cricket, a lot has been speculated over the potential reasons behind his big decision. While some suggest that Kohli wasn't keen on becoming a player who could potentially be dropped from the Test team, others feel he simply didn't find challenges motivating enough for him to push further. Kohli's friend and former Indian Premier League teammate, AB de Villiers, however, has now put the debate to bed with a logical explanation. For De Villiers, who spent a long time with Kohli at Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as his teammate, it was purely a 'gut call'. "He followed his gut feel. I think he has done a lot for cricket around the world over the years. Luckily, we'll still see him on the cricket field. He will be missed in Test matches, there is no doubt about it, but he leaves (behind) a great legacy with the red ball," De Villiers said on the sidelines of a NGO Project Mumbai on Saturday. With Kohli and India's Test skipper Rohit Sharma bowing out, a lot of new-age batters are expected to fill in the void left by them. De Villiers is excited to see the young generation taking up the challenge. "Yes, it's time for the younger guys to step up... Shubman Gill taking on the responsibility. There's lots of talent in India, and largely credit to the IPL for that, (it is) really giving great exposure to some of the youngsters at a very early age. We saw Vaibhav Suryavanshi this year (and) many other youngsters, they come in their first year and they look very mature and ready to play cricket, and it's a great platform for Indian cricket," De Villiers said. "They've got to take some responsibility on in England, it'll be a tough test, but they have all the talent in the world and if they believe, maybe they can achieve something special," the ex-South Africa skipper further said. Listen to the latest songs, only on
Hans India
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Hans India
Youngsters need to take responsibility after Kohli's exit: AB
Mumbai: Former South Africa batter AB de Villiers said that Virat Kohli followed his heart to announce his retirement from Test cricket after contributing to the game for more than a decade and leaving behind a 'great legacy'. Ahead of the all-important five-match Test series against England, the former wicketkeeper-batter opined that youngsters need to step up on a 'tough' tour in the absence of Kohli and former Test captain Rohit Sharma. 'I don't know, he must have listened to his heart, and time for him to move on in his opinion, and he followed his gut feel. So I think he's done a lot for crickets around the world over the years, and luckily we'll still see him on the cricket field. He will be missed in Test matches, there's no doubt about it, but he leaves a great legacy with a red ball,' De Villiers told reporters in Mumbai. The 41-year-old lauded the platform provided by the IPL for the Indian talents to shine and named Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Ayush Mhatre as the prime examples of it. With the England tour starting on June 20, the legendary batter feels if the players believe in themselves they can 'achieve something special' on the English soil. 'Yes, it's time for the younger guys to step up. We saw Shubman Gill taking on the responsibility. There's lots of talent in India, and largely credit to the IPL for that. Really giving great exposure to some of the youngsters. At a very early age, we saw Vaibhav Suryavanshi this year, and many other youngsters that come in, and they look like Ayush Mhatre, too many to mention. They come in the first year, and they look very mature and ready to play cricket, and it's a great platform for Indian cricket. 'So they've got to take some responsibility in England, it'll be a tough test, but they have all the talent in the world, and if they believe, maybe they can achieve something special,' De Villiers said. De Villiers also played cricket with the Mumbai wheelchair cricket team during a practice session at Islam Gymkhana in Marine Lines. 'My first reaction was just a feeling of gratitude, inspiration. Watching these guys on their wheelchairs, playing cricket with smiles on their faces, really enjoying it,' he shared his experience of playing with them.
Mint
a day ago
- Sport
- Mint
AB de Villiers plays wheelchair cricket in Mumbai, delights fans with inspiring gesture
AB de Villiers, South African cricket legend captured hearts with a touching gesture during a practice session with the Mumbai Wheelchair Cricket Team. The former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star was seen immersed in playing wheelchair cricket alongside specially-abled athletes at an event held at Islam Gymkhana in Marine Lines. This heartfelt moment was part of 'Project Mumbai,' an initiative encouraging individuals to give back to the city through meaningful contributions. De Villiers, renowned for his dynamic 360-degree batting style actively participated, sitting in a wheelchair and engaging with the players. His presence brought joy and motivation to the team. The wheelchair cricket session highlighted the resilience and skill of the players, and de Villiers' involvement increased the event's impact, inspiring everyone present. In a video posted by RCB, AB de Villiers was seen playing a shot with his bat. "There's only one heart, AB… how many times will you win it?" RCB posted on their social media handle. AB de Villiers dedicated his day to various other programs under 'Project Mumbai.' In a civic school in Malabar Hill, he traded his cricket bat for a paintbrush. ABD joined students and volunteers in painting classrooms, transforming the learning environment into a brighter, more cheerful space. AB de Villiers came to India to extend his support for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who secured their place in the IPL 2025 final after a dominating eight-wicket win against Punjab Kings in Qualifier 1. The final of IPL 2025 is scheduled for June 3 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The involvement of de Villiers and his delight at RCB's progress, has sparked excitement among fans. 'I am very happy that RCB is in the final,' he said, reflecting on the team's journey. 'I am very much looking forward to the finals and hopefully this will be the year for RCB," he expressed his optimism for RCB's chances to lift the trophy this season.
NDTV
a day ago
- Sport
- NDTV
AB De Villiers Breaks Big RCB-Related Promise Made To Virat Kohli, Says "It Wasn't My Fault"
On the note of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) making their way to the IPL 2025 final, one of their former cricketers, AB de Villiers, has revealed that he ended up breaking a promise he had made to Virat Kohli. De Villiers revealed that he had said the catchphrase "Ee Saala Cup Namde" (This year, the cup will be ours) despite promising to Kohli that he would not utter it during the season. The phrase has become a part of RCB folklore given the team's inability to win the title over the years. On Thursday, RCB comprehensively beat Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Qualifier 1 to enter the IPL 2025 final. De Villiers revealed that he had accidentally said the catchphrase, and even reiterated that it wasn't his own fault. "Yeah, it wasn't my fault. The guys are rude over here, man. They're setting traps for me," said de Villiers, speaking on Star Sports. De Villiers had seemingly promised to his former teammate Kohli that he wouldn't utter the phrase "Ee Saala Cup Namde" during the 2025 season. Kohli and de Villiers shared the RCB dressing room for 11 years, during which RCB lost the final on two occasions. Notably, they lost the final in 2016, narrowly to Sunrisers Hyderabad. RCB have achieved success in IPL 2025 under the coaching of Andy Flower, following a good auction. Mo Bobat, Director of Cricket at Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), said nailing the side's actual shape, based on the vision the think-tank had envisaged during last year's auction, has been the most rewarding aspect of the IPL 2025 season. "Nobody gets everything they want at an auction. It's pretty much impossible. But I think we got predominantly what we wanted in terms of playing personnel. But more importantly, with the actual shape of the team and the vision of that team that Andy and I spent so much time thinking about and talking about, we pretty much nailed that." "And that's probably been the satisfying thing this season - that you get to see that come to life on the field," said Bobat in a video posted by the franchise on their YouTube channel on Saturday. Apart from various players stepping up to do the job for making RCB win, Bobat shared head coach Andy Flower's changed approach has also been helpful, especially with a new skipper in Rajat Patidar at the helm. "I've really enjoyed watching Andy head coach slightly differently this year to how he did last year. The team has changed and the captain has changed. Essentially, we share the principle that we would like our players to walk onto the field and make their own decisions. And to do that, you've got to create a decision-rich environment on and off the field." "For Andy and I, creating a sort of environment where people feel safe, where they feel backed, where they feel like they're accountable for their own decisions, and where they're able to hopefully showcase their strengths - that's the key bit."
