"Virat Remains World Class, One Of Greatest Cricketers Ever To Play The Game": AB de Villiers To NDTV

The form of Virat Kohli is being debated for a long time now, and it would be interesting to see how the right-handed batter goes about his business in the upcoming Asia Cup, after getting the much-needed break. Everyone knows what sort of friendship Kohli shares with former South Africa great AB de Villiers. The duo formed a formidable partnership while playing for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. In an interview with NDTV, de Villiers spoke about the form of Virat Kohli, the impact of growing T20 leagues on international cricket, how he aims to help the underprivileged children in India and much more.

Kohli had last registered a ton in 2019, and since then the three-figure mark has eluded him. However, de Villiers says Virat remains world-class and he is one of the greatest to ever play the game.

"Virat is one of the greatest cricketers ever to play the game. Form is temporary, class is permanent. Virat remains world-class. Virat and I remain in regular contact. We are friends, and he certainly does not need me to tell him the importance of working hard during a bad patch," de Villiers told NDTV.

In July this year, England Test captain Ben Stokes had retired from ODIs cricket. Ever since then, the future of international cricket is being talked about. The former South Africa batter says that it is clear that T20 cricket will continue to grow at the expense of other formats.

"It seems clear that T20 cricket will continue to grow and grow, inevitably at the expense of other formats," he said. When asked whether tri-series can help in helping ODI cricket, de Villiers said: "I think the impact would be minimal."

"There will always be space for international cricket, so long as it