They're the Federer and Nadal of cricket: AB de Villiers opens up on this batting rivalry
AB de Villiers compared two modern-day greats in cricket to legendary tennis duo of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
With cricket coming to a standstill, the players are taking it to social media to interact with fellow teammates, international cricketers and fans. While they are reflecting on their careers, some are also opening up on their lives beyond the sport.
AB de Villiers, who retired from international cricket in 2018, talked to Zimbabwean cricketer-turned-commentator Pommie Mbangwa for one such conversation on Instagram.
He touched upon various topics and also talked about Indian captain Virat Kohli. Virat is currently the captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League -- the franchise de Villiers represents.
The two share a heartwarming bond of friendship and often heap praise on one-another during interviews.
de Villiers, in the chat with Mbangwa, said that the Indian batsman reminds him of Swiss tennis star Roger Federer, and named the batsman who is the cricket equivalent of Spain's Rafael Nadal.
"Kohli is more of a natural ball striker. He is like Federer. Smith is more like (Rafael) Nadal, he's mentally very strong. He's figured out a way to score runs, he doesn't look too natural but he manages to break records," said de Villiers.
"Kohli, though, has scored runs all over the world and he's my pick."
He also talked about India's batting great Sachin Tendulkar during the conversation. Both, Virat and AB idolise Tendulkar but the former South African batsman insisted that the Indian captain remains on top when it comes to chasing down a target.
"Tendulkar has been a role model for both of us, the way he stood out in his era and the things he achieved with grace is a great example for any youngster to follow. Kohli will also say that he's (Tendulkar) the main guy and he set the standards.
"But I personally feel that Kohli is the best when it comes to run-chases. Tendulkar was amazing in all situations, but in terms of chasing under pressure, Virat tops him. No target is safe when Virat is batting," said de Villiers.