In a fiery defense of his former teammate, South African star AB de Villiers has taken a bold stand against critics of Virat Kohli, particularly targeting remarks made by legends Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag. Following Kohli’s scintillating 62-run innings against Chennai Super Kings, which propelled Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to a narrow two-run victory and the top of the IPL points table, De Villiers didn’t hold back.
In a video shared on Instagram, he showed past criticisms from Gavaskar and Sehwag, who had previously questioned Kohli’s strike rate. Sehwag had notably criticised Kohli for scoring the joint-slowest century in IPL history, suggesting he should have accelerated after reaching his half-century. Gavaskar, too, had engaged in a well-documented back-and-forth with Kohli over his scoring pace.
Addressing the media directly, De Villiers remarked, “Virat is always there. He is Mr. Safety for RCB. When he is there, you don’t have to fear. Never fear when Virat is near. That is the story. Nothing has ever changed, and what I want to tell all of you media people, I haven’t forgotten. I have the brain of an elephant. To all my journalist friends out there, I love you guys. But remember when you said Virat bats too slow, right? Virat is there batting at almost a 200 strike rate last night. Eat that.”
Kohli’s performance this season has been nothing short of stellar. He has surpassed the 500-run mark in an IPL season for a record eighth time, amassing 505 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 143.47. His tally of seven fifty-plus scores is his third-best in an IPL season, following 11 such scores in 2016 and eight in 2023. This dominance has placed him at the forefront of the Orange Cap race, narrowly leading over Gujarat Titans’ Sai Sudharsan.
