Former Dutch Captain Declares AB De Villiers Better Than Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, Joe Root, And Babar Azam

AB De Villiers has not only been the heart and soul of the South African team for a decade but also for the Royal Challengers Bangalore. AB De Villiers holds a plethora of batting records across formats and is a masterful batsman, full of innovation when it comes to the shortest format. Hence, former Netherlands skipper, Peter Borren has adjudged him better than Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, Joe Root, and Babar Azam.

The likes of Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson, Joe Root, and Babar Azam have rapidly risen through the ranks in the past few years. Such cricketers have aced all the formats and are the bedrock for the respective batting sides, no matter the version of cricket. Amid that, AB De Villiers remained as a proven great, having debuted back in 2004. Not only does De Villiers bat well in the shortest format, but the 36-year old could also put up a rearguard when needed in Tests.

AB De Villiers retired from international cricket in May 2018 after playing 78 T20Is, 114 Tests, and 228 ODIs. In Tests, he has 8765 runs while averaging 50.66 with a highest score of 278. On the other hand, the 228 ODIs yielded 9577 runs at 53.5. The Pretoria-born cricketer also captained South Africa in the 2015 World Cup and came inches close of taking the nation to their first World Cup final. Peter Borren said in a tweet that De Villiers is easily better than the current top five batsmen.

The ‘big four’ chat you hear sometimes about Smith, Williamson, kohli and Babar/root is funny because Ab de Villiers is better than all of them.

— Peter Borren (@dutchiepdb) October 14, 2020

AB De Villiers failed in the IPL 2020 game against Kings XI Punjab:

On Thursday, AB De Villiers came out to bat at number six against Kings XI Punjab in Sharjah. It was a highly debatable move since a few days ago; the former South African captain smashed 73 off 33 deliveries against Kolkata Knight Riders while batting at number four. At number six, all he could manage was two runs off five balls. RCB eventually managed 171 in their 20 overs; however, Kings XI Punjab got over the line with eight wickets to spare.