The legendary South African player, AB de Villiers, has played with and against Virat Kohli for many years, so he has inside knowledge of how the Indian player responds to criticism.
During the first stages of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the renowned Sunil Gavaskar was one of the few who had doubts about Kohli’s strategy.
In retaliation, the all-star batter put on a string of brilliant performances with a high strikeout rate, proving he could play well under duress and quiet his detractors.
He responded, “Yeah, I enjoyed that,” to the question regarding the ongoing controversy surrounding Kohli’s strike rate this season.
“I felt that receiving so much criticism for someone like him—a hero and a national role model—was very awful.
However, I simply knew about him, and I made sure to highlight it on my show. You have no idea what happens to this guy when he receives criticism, I said to the group of people.
“During the many years I’ve faced him, I used to advise the players in the locker room to be quiet around Virat on the field because if you attempt to chirp him, he will come out and score a massive hundred runs.
Receiving some criticism may have been a blessing in disguise because he is very motivated by things like that.
And perhaps someone ought to confront him tonight, right before this game, with some harsh words.
He declared, “I’m praying for that,” prior to the eliminator matchup with the Rajasthan Royals. In an incredible manner, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) qualified for the IPL playoffs.
They had only won once in their first eight games, so they had to pull off an incredible recovery with six straight wins to guarantee a play-off position.
De Villiers emphasized the pivotal role that Kohli played in this comeback.
“When the team is down and out, a player like Kohli can play a huge role in lifting the spirits, and that’s exactly what he did,” he stated.
He pointed out that even amid the team’s losing skid, Kohli’s passion never faltered, exhibiting his unwavering dedication and leadership.
It merely demonstrates his level of concern for the group and his ambition to eventually take home a trophy.
And from the perspective of a teammate, to see it in one of your senior players who has accomplished everything in cricket, even when you’re down and out like that with one out of eight wins.
He really is one of the best artists of all time. And after we’ve completed just one out of eight, you witness someone like them rejoicing on the field.
That must be, at the very least, extremely inspiring and motivating. And I think that just by his attitude, his fielding capacity, the way he pushed himself around on the field, the runouts he got, the applause, the tapping on the shoulders of some of the younger players, and the joy of seeing others be successful, he was competent to lift that team and get them back on track. In the end, that’s a selfless deed,” he continued.