AB de Villiers has fiercely defended his former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) teammate Virat Kohli following Kohli’s match-winning knock of 62 runs against Chennai Super Kings at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The innings not only powered RCB to a thrilling 2-run win but also helped them top the IPL 2025 points table and move closer to playoff qualification.
In a video shared on Instagram, De Villiers brought up past criticism from former Indian cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag, both of whom had earlier questioned Kohli’s strike rate. De Villiers pulled up screenshots of those comments and responded directly to media houses and critics.
“Virat is always there. He’s Mr. Safety for RCB. Never fear when Virat is near. And to all the media who said he bats too slow—eat that!” De Villiers said, applauding Kohli’s near 200 strike rate in the recent game.
Kohli’s Redemption Season in IPL 2025
Virat Kohli has been in sensational form this season. His latest half-century took his total to 505 runs in 11 innings at a strike rate of 143.47, marking his eighth time crossing 500+ runs in an IPL season—a record in the league’s history, surpassing David Warner.
Kohli now leads the Orange Cap race, narrowly ahead of Gujarat Titans’ Sai Sudharsan. His seven 50+ scores this season make it one of his best campaigns, behind only 2016 (11 scores) and 2023 (8 scores).
Gavaskar and Sehwag’s Past Remarks Resurface
Last year, Sehwag had criticised Kohli for scoring a slow century (113* off 67 balls), saying he should’ve accelerated post his half-century. Gavaskar too had weighed in, pointing out Kohli’s strike rate concerns in T20s. De Villiers’ latest comments appear to be a direct rebuttal to those remarks, reinforcing Kohli’s continued dominance and consistency.
RCB on Brink of Playoffs
With eight wins in 11 games, RCB is one of the top teams this season, and Kohli’s resurgence has been key. As the league heads toward its final stage, all eyes will be on whether Kohli can carry this form into the playoffs and end RCB’s long wait for an IPL title.
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