NEW DELHI: Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers played for Royal Challengers Bengaluru for many years, producing several match-winning partnerships. Both players often spoke about their camaraderie, on and off the field.
But when it comes to the top five cricketers AB de Villiers has played with or against in his career, Kohli did not make the list.
The Proteas star listed cricketing legends Jacques Kallis, Andrew Flintoff, Shane Warne, Sachin Tendulkar, and Mohammad Asif as the top five players he has played with or against.
After being reminded by Adil Rashid about the Indian superstar, de Villiers publicly apologised for having overlooked Kohli in his list.
"Kallis, Flintoff, Mohammad Asif, Warne and Sachin with the crowds. The way he (Tendulkar) was received when he walked out to bat - everything would come to a standstill. Beautiful to watch him bat. Virat sorry, Sachin. That's why such questions are so tough to answer," de Villiers said on the Beard Before Wicket podcast.
De Villiers highlighted a mix of skill, impact in big games, and memorable personalities that left a lasting impression on him during his career.
"Kallis is the best all-rounder or maybe the best cricketer of all time. Asif was the best seamer I ever faced. I loved playing against Warne, but I never faced difficulty. I liked his overall personality, the floppy hat, the zinc cream, the blonde hair. Again Andrew Flintoff, who was a big-match performer. That yorker to Kallis in Edgbaston is the best I have seen," he added.
