AB...a possible racist and a truly great batsman

Kohli to de Villiers: 'Biscotti, you are the most talented cricketer I've played with, the absolute number one'
With over 20,000 international runs, the South Africa batter holds the records for the fastest fifty and century in ODI cricket

ESPNcricinfo staff
16-Oct-2024 • 1 hr ago

his letter, penned by Virat Kohli to AB de Villiers after the latter was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame, was released by the ICC.

To AB,

It is an honour to be selected to write these words as you enter the ICC Hall of Fame.

You are thoroughly deserving of your place - after all, the Hall of Fame is a representation of your impact on the game, and yours has been truly unique.

People have always spoken about your ability, and rightly so. You are the most talented cricketer I have played with, the absolute number one.

But what truly stood out to me was your belief in that ability. You had a crazy amount of belief that you could execute whatever you wanted to on a cricket field, and you normally did. That is why you ended up being so special.

There is no better example in my mind than when we were batting together for RCB in Kolkata in 2016.

We were chasing 184 against an attack including Sunil Narine, Morne Morkel, Andre Russell and Shakib Al Hasan. You came in to join me with around 70 on the board and Narine was bowling.

You played and missed a couple and told me during a timeout that you weren't picking him too well. I felt I was, so I remember telling you to give me the strike and I would try and hit boundaries off him.

In the first over Narine bowled after the timeout, I was ready at the non-striker's end thinking you were definitely giving me a single. So, imagine my surprise when you back away to the leg side, Sunil follows you and you slog sweep him over square leg for a 94-metre six.

I don't know what happened in the timeout to give you the belief you could do that. I just remember saying to you, "you're a freak!"

If I have a lack of belief against someone, I'd just try and get off strike - but you hit him for a 94-metre six without picking the ball. That sums you up. You could just do things our minds were not ready to process, and then everyone thinks 'how the hell did that happen?'.

That is just one of so many fond memories I have batting alongside you, times which provided some of the most fun I have had on a cricket field.

'Fielders were always under pressure when we were batting. I don't ever remember missing a two with you or being in a position to be run out'•BCCI
When we ran between the wickets, for example, we never called for runs. It's a very difficult thing to explain practically but there is a feeling to it.

There was a complete understanding of where the ball was going and nothing needed to be said. Fielders were always under pressure when we were batting. I don't ever remember missing a two with you or being in a position to be run out. It was amazing, as if we understood so perfectly that we were always on the same page.

Through my time playing with and against you, you always had a very clear understanding of how the game should be played and you never really veered from that, regardless of whether you were doing well or not.

It was never about someone else. It was never about competing with another player. It was always about what impact you could create for the team. In difficult situations, you were the man bailing out your team more often than not.

Your drive to want to be the guy to win the game for your team was tremendous and something I learned a lot from. I remember taking from you that it doesn't matter what you have done in the last four games, it is about how you approach the game today. It is about always being positive, always taking the game on and finding a way to get the job done.

You were always completely in tune with the needs of the team, which made you one of the hardest players to make plans for when we were on opposing sides in international cricket.

"You had a crazy amount of belief that you could execute whatever you wanted to on a cricket field, and you normally did. That is why you ended up being so special"
Everyone remembers your attacking shots but you would adapt to the situation. Take 2015, in Delhi, when you faced 297 balls and made 43 trying to save the Test match.

There must have been a temptation at some stage to think 'I've faced 200 balls, I need to hit a boundary'. But once you locked yourself into what the situation required, you just kept going on and on.

It all comes back to that belief in your ability. It wasn't just about the crazy, extravagant shots. You had the ability to defend the ball and had belief in that defence. To play that way because South Africa needed you to do so is a classic example of the team player you were.

A lot of players can have impressive numbers but very few have an impact on the psyche of those watching. For me, that is the highest value you can have as a cricketer and that is what makes you so special.

You are in the Hall of Fame for the impact you have left on the game and I don't think there is anything more special for a cricketer than to have that honour.

Congratulations, biscotti. You are one of the greatest players to ever play the game.

Virat

You played and missed a couple and told me during a timeout that you weren't picking him too well.

.a possible racist

The allegations against de Villiers were based on his handling of Khaya Zondo when he was part of South Africa’s ODI squad that toured India in 2015. He was not selected in the team when JP Duminy was injured for the final match of the series.

In Zondo’s place, Dean Elgar, who was a part of the Test squad, played in that match. The report stated that it was done “just to ensure that a black player was not placed in a position which he deemed as requiring greater experience.”

De Villiers had previously told the SJN that he believed Zondo was a “non-playing” member of the squad, who was there purely to “gain experience” and “see how the system works”.

He said he believed Elgar and Farhaan Behardien were the next batsmen in line in the event of an injury

De Villiers, a much-admired figure in South African cricket who recently retired, denied the charge.
De Villiers denied he I support the aims of CSA’s Social Justice and Nation Building process, to ensure equal opportunities in cricket. However, in my career, I expressed honest cricketing opinions only ever based on what I believed was best for the team, never based on anyone’s race. That’s the fact.

In the first over Narine bowled after the timeout, I was ready at the non-striker's end thinking you were definitely giving me a single. So, imagine my surprise when you back away to the leg side, Sunil follows you and you slog sweep him over square leg for a 94-metre six.

I don't know what happened in the timeout to give you the belief you could do that. I just remember saying to you, "you're a freak!"

Duminy was ruled out of the final match of the series due to injury, Dean Elgar – who had been named in the Test squad – was flown in early to play in the ODI, with Zondo missing out.

In testimony given to the SJN, tour selector Hussein Manack said he was pressured into selecting Elgar over Zondo by De Villiers, the Proteas ODI captain.

De Villiers did not consult with selection convenor Linda Zondi, who was not on the tour, and instead discussed the matter with then CSA CEO Haroon Lorgat.

“Mr Zondo was a victim of the exclusionary culture which persists within the cricket ecosystem,” the SJN report said.

“Mr De Villiers was willing to flout the NSP [national selection policy] just to ensure that a black player was not placed in a position which he deemed as requiring greater experience.

“It is then puzzling that the preferred choice is a white player who does not specialise in the position that was open and had no experience in the ODI series, at the time.

“The only reasonable conclusion is that Mr De Villiers unfairly discriminated against Mr Zondo on racial grounds.

“His actions were arbitrary and irrational as there was no justifiable purpose for Mr Zondo’s replacement. His conduct was motivated by underlying unsubstantiated bias with respect to competence of black players.

is he a racist because he is a white saffie ? I am jus asking.

Are you really here to challenge anyine on calling AD or any RSA white racist?

All of them racist unil proven otherwise.

All of them racist unil proven otherwise.