The former captain of South Africa, AB de Villiers, surprised the fans with his new statements on Test cricket. In the interview with Moeen Ali, he disclosed the five best cricketers with whom he shared the field but his good friend and ex Royal Challengers Bangalore teammate Virat Kohli was not mentioned.
AB de Villiers Chooses Legends Across Nations
AB de Villiers mentioned players of five countries in his list. He chose Jacques Kallis of South Africa, Mohammad Asif of Pakistan, Shane Warne of Australia, Andrew Flintoff of England and Sachin Tendulkar of India. These selections were comprised of an assembly of all-rounders, seamers, and batting heroes.
According to De Villiers Jacques Kallis was the ultimate all-rounder. He also admitted that Mohammad Asif was the most skilled fast bowler that he ever witnessed. Not only did he like Shane Warne due to his spin but he also liked the character that Warne added to the game.
Praise for Kallis, Warne, and Asif
“Kallis definitely. Flintoff, of course. I just remember… Mohammad Asif. Wow. Probably the best seamer I’ve ever faced in my life. Warnie (Shane Warne) – I loved playing against him. I don’t think Warnie was the best bowler I faced, but just the whole package,” AB de Villiers said.
He remembered the skill of Warne in bowling, which he termed poetry of a sort. It was another moment that will be remembered by the South African as Flintoff bowled to Kallis at Edgbaston, and he called it the best yorker he had ever seen on a cricket field.
AB de Villiers Remembers Tendulkar’s Impact
Upon being requested to select another name, AB de Villiers referred to the aura of Sachin Tendulkar. He said, “Just Sachin with the crowd, I would say. The way he was acknowledged walking out to bat. It was like a standstill moment. But beautiful the way he batted.”
The number of runs he got was not as interesting to him as the fact that Tendulkar was in the middle. It was, to De Villiers, the manner in which the entire stadium would rise to silence at every moment when the Indian maestro strode to the crease.
Virat Kohli Missed in AB de Villiers’ Top 5
But it is interesting that Virat Kohli was not mentioned by AB de Villiers, which is not surprising, given that they were very close and that they had spent years together at RCB. Adil Rashid entered the discussion and reminded him that Kohli had not come. De Villiers quickly responded with a smile, saying, “Sorry, Virat,” before adding, “That’s why such questions are so tough to answer.”
This exclusion raised a few eyebrows since Kohli is widely regarded to have been one of the greatest Test batsmen of the modern times. To De Villiers, the five chosen names were cricketers who left indelible marks in one way or another during his career.
ALSO READ: Did Rahul Dravid Get Kicked Out Of Rajasthan Royals? AB de Villiers Made Shocking Claim
