AB de Villiers pays an emotional tribute to Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma after they retire from T20Is

Legendary South African cricketer AB de Villiers shared his thoughts on the retirement of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja from T20 international cricket after winning the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, describing it as the end of an era for them and Indian cricket.

De Villiers supported Kohli, Rohit, and Jadeja’s decision to step away from T20I cricket at the peak of their careers after winning the T20 World Cup 2024, highlighting the need for new talent to come through and make their mark in the “world-class Indian cricket team.”

It's the end of an era: AB de Villiers on Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Ravindra Jadeja's T20I retirement

However, the former South African captain said that he would miss their action in T20I cricket, but at the same time, he felt that if they were not part of the next World Cup, then it was the best moment for them to retire from T20Is holding the prestigious cup on hand at the high.

AB de Villiers said on his YouTube channel: “It's the end of an era for a lot of Indian cricket players. Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Ravindra Jadeja called it the day of T20 international cricket. So, you won't see them in Indian colors again in T20s. And I mean, there's no better way to step away.

You're on top of the world. You just won the World Cup. And I fully support this decision. I will miss the three of them and watching them play in T20I games for their country. But if you don't have future plans of being involved with World Cups, it's time for the youngsters.”

The legendary batter said that the trio made the right call to make space for the youngsters to come through, and there is already much talent in India, thanks to the IPL, so it is very exciting that three spots open up in this world-class cricket team. He also mentioned that there will be a lot of youngsters lining up to replace Rohit, Jadeja, and Kohli in the format.

AB de Villiers hails Rohit Sharma's captaincy and Virat Kohli's batting contributions

Meanwhile, AB de Villiers praised Virat Kohli for his outstanding contributions over the years, especially in the final of the T20 World Cup 2024, where he anchored the batting lineup by playing a match-deceive knock of 76 runs against South Africa, which played a key role in India’s 7-run win.

The former RCB batter further added, “Virat has been absolutely outstanding over the years for India. The man for the big moments. And he once again proved that to be true. In the final of a T20 World Cup, he was the guy who kept that batting unit together and really set the foundation in place for them to get that match-winning total of 176.”

He also hailed Rohit Sharma's captaincy for its passion and emotional depth, saying he's not a robotic captain and gets a lot of respect from his teammates, and he really likes him as a human being.

De Villiers said, “I thought Rohit Sharma kept him extremely well throughout this tournament. He had that usual passion that he plays with—energy, that emotion. You can see he's a human being, which I love. He's not a robotic captain. He shows his disappointment. And then his players react. So, he's got a lot of respect from his teammates. And that's exactly what you saw during the World Cup.”

Ravindra Jadeja is a fantastic all-rounder: ABD

Furthermore, De Villiers acknowledged Ravindra Jadeja as a fantastic all-rounder who consistently performed in pressure situations, both with bat and ball. The South African congratulated Kohli, Rohit, and Jadeja on their illustrious T20I careers and said that he is looking forward to seeing them excel in Test and ODI cricket for Team India.

He signed off by saying, “Ravindra Jadeja, what a fantastic all-round player. He won a lot of trophies over several years. Always there, playing well in the big moments. He's good in the field. He was a fantastic player, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching him play in T20I cricket.

We'll see a lot more of these guys in the Test and ODI arenas, and obviously in the IPL. So, lots to look forward to. And congratulations to the three of them for a fantastic T20 international career.”