‘This hurts my heart’ – Virat Kohli pens emotional message as AB De Villiers calls time on his cricketing career

‘This hurts my heart’ – Virat Kohli pens emotional message as AB De Villiers calls time on his cricketing career

Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers

Former South Africa skipper AB de Villiers has retired from all forms of cricket on Friday. Virat Kohli, his Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) skipper and teammate is heartbroken as the 37-year-old broke this news via his official Twitter account. The duo has had a special bond them and hailed each other as brothers.

Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers have been playing together for the Bangalore-based franchise for almost a decade now. With de Villiers hanging his boots, Virat will now have to shoulder the responsibilities of keeping the batting order together alone. Earlier this year, the Indian skipper stepped down from RCB’s captaincy.

Virat Kohli bids adieu to the “most inspirational person”

Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers
Kohli and De Villiers

Virat Kohli penned a couple of emotional messages as Ab de Villiers broke the news. The surprising development took him by shock too as it has shaken the cricketing fraternity. The 33-year-old asserts that their bond was beyond the sport and they will remain the best of friends. Kohli went on to commend him on the decision.

“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,” Kohli wrote.

“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,” he added.

De Villiers too was quick to acknowledge his skippers affectionate not as he replied, “Love u too my brother.” The Protea legend amassed a whopping 8756 runs in Tests, 9577 in ODIs, 1672 in T20Is and 5162 in the IPL. Barring his phenomenal ability to hit sixes all around the ground, he was a gun fielder and a fairly good wicketkeeper too.

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