'The Absolute Number One': Virat Kohli Hails AB de Villiers For Making It To ICC Hall Of Fame

India cricketer Virat Kohli paid tribute to his longtime friend and former Royal Challengers Bangalore teammate AB de Villiers, who was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame on Wednesday.

De Villiers, along with former England captain Alastair Cook and ex-India women's cricket team spinner Neetu David, were the inductees into the batch of 2024.

Kohli, who played for over a decade alongside de Villiers in the Indian Premier League for RCB, took to his social media to pen a heartfelt note for the South African cricket legend.

"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," Kohli wrote.

Standing in the Hall of Fame
And the world's gonna know your name
'Cause you burn with the brightest flame. 🔥✨

Congratulations on making it to the ICC Hall of Fame, Abraham Benjamin de Villiers. 🙌

And who better than your biscuit Virat Kohli to write about you! ❤️… pic.twitter.com/p0MASaCWt3

— Royal Challengers Bengaluru (@RCBTweets) October 16, 2024

The former RCB captain described de Villiers' belief and doggedness to uphold the game's values as the qualities that had an impact on the psyche of those watching.

"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.

"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," he added.

AB de Villiers was a game-changer, plain and simple. He wrapped up his international career with over 20,000 runs across all three formats, making him one of the true legends of the game.

With an average of over 50 in Tests and ODIs, and a blistering strike rate of 135+ in T20s, de Villiers wasn't just about numbers – he was a dynamic force, whether he was smashing bowlers all over the park, pulling off insane catches, or even donning the wicketkeeping gloves.

After 14 incredible years of redefining modern cricket, he called it quits in 2021.