Virat Kohli pens emotional note as AB de Villiers retires: Hurts my heart but you've made the best decision
Virat Kohli paid heartfelt tribute to AB de Villiers on his retirement from all forms of cricket.
Virat Kohli and Ab De Villiers share a great bond between them and their love for each other is a secret to none. The star duo shared a great camaraderieon and off the pitch while playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and produced several match-winning performances for the side.
De Villiers will not be turning up for RCB from the 2022 season of the Indian Premier League as he announced his decision to retire from all forms of cricket on Friday (November 19). The South African legend took to Twitter to release a heartfelt statement explaining why he has decided to part ways from the game.
Reacting to his decision, Kohli got emotional and penned a lovely note for his friend and former teammate, calling him the best player of his time. The Indian ODI and Test skipper also hailed De Villiers as the most inspirational person he has ever met.
"To the best player of our times and the most inspirational person I've met, you can be very proud of what you've done and what you've given to RCB my brother. Our bond is beyond the game and will always be," said Kohli in a tweet.
"This hurts my heart but I know you've made the best decision for yourself and your family like you've always done. I love you @ABdeVilliers17," he added.
The iconic duo will no more be together as part of the RCB setup from the next season in 2022 with De Villiers retiring. Their partnerships on the field will be a huge miss for the RCB fans next year. In his last season with the franchise, De Villiers notched up 313 runs in 15 matches and helped RCB qualify for the playoffs in IPL 2021.
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De Villiers had joined RCB in 2011 and spent an incredible eleven seasons with the franchise in IPL. He is the second-highest run-getter of all time for RCB with 4522 runs in 157 matches at an average of over 41. Earlier, Kohli had already confirmed he will no more be captaining RCB in the IPL and it remains to be seen how the franchise replace Kohli the captain and AB the batter in the upcoming mega auction.