AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli. . Photo by: Deepak Malik /SPORTZPICS for BCCI

Former South African skipper, Graeme Smith feels the retirement of AB de Villiers is a significant loss for South Africa, and the team must prepare for the challenging transition they face in the next couple of years.

Meanwhile, de Villiers shocked everybody bidding adieu to cricket last week after an illustrious career over a decade.

The Proteas star’s audacious batting style and breathtaking fielding have made him one of the leading ambassador of the game.

I think AB’s thought about it a lot. I thought definitely he would retire after the 2019 World Cup. But when he made his comeback and did so well in the home summer in South Africa, had a really good IPL, I didn’t even think about it,” Smith said in an interview with Reuters.

De Villiers retired as the fourth highest Test run-scorer for South Africa with 8,765 runs. In ODI cricket, he holds the records for the fastest 50 (16 balls), 100 (31 balls) and 150 (64 balls).

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It is like taking Kohli out of India team

The former opener said De Villiers’ retirement robbed South Africa of more than just a batting mainstay. He also admitted it is like taking out Virat Kohli from the Indian team.

To lose a player like AB, he’s irreplaceable,” Smith said. “There are also quality players there but it’s like taking Virat Kohli (India captain) out of the Indian team. Everyone will say it’s a big loss. More than anything the South African team loses an X-factor player, who can single-handedly win you a game,” he added.

In conclusion, Smith admitted South Africa would go through a tough phase in the coming years due to lack of quality players in the pool.

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