'You make people believe in themselves' - AB de Villiers pays emotional tribute to Virat Kohli

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) batter AB de Villiers hailed Virat Kohli as an inspirational leader. Kohli’s nine-year stint as RCB skipper came to end with a four-wicket loss to Kolkata Knight Riders in the Eliminator. In a video posted by RCB, De Villiers thanked Kohli for his services as RCB skipper.

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"I have been here through all the years with Virat as captain and I think the word that comes to mind is 'grateful'. We were very lucky to have had you at the front," De Villiers said.

"The way you captained this team has inspired everyone, certainly inspired me to become better as a player and a person. You have had a much bigger impact than you will ever understand, it has gone miles. There are stories that you don't even hear of people's lives that you have touched,” he added.

"I have known you on the field but away from it as well. You make people believe in themselves, which is much more important than winning a trophy. Which I still believe will come your way.”

RCB v KKR | 12th Man TV Takeaways



A match decided on the slightest of margins in Sharjah as we fell incredibly short of a win in the Eliminator against KKR. Here were the takeaways from last night’s playoff match. #PlayBold #WeAreChallengers #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/hCy9mf2Sl1

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) October 12, 2021

Kohli has always been very aggressive on the field and never shied away from expressing himself. Even umpires have faced the heat from Kohli. In the Eliminator, umpire Virender Sharma came under fire from Kohli after giving a poor LBW decision. Pulling Kohli's leg, De Villiers sarcastically said that umpires will sleep a bit better now.

"You have done a great job, but that book is not finished yet. Whatever you have done for us, we won't forget it. Thanks for all the memories, and I think some of the umpires will sleep a bit better, very happy for them," he joked.

Kohli had earlier revealed that he will step down as RCB skipper after the current season as he wants to focus more on his batting. He will also give up the India T20I captainship after the T20 World Cup.