Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers has reacted to Virat Kohli’s Test retirement, which happened on May 12. Both Kohli and de Villers share a great bond with each other as the legendary batters played a lot of cricket with each other in the Indian Premier League (IPL) team Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) from 2011 to 2021. Besides IPL, both were fierce competitors against each other in international cricket, serving their national sides. de Villiers’ amiable equation with Kohli can be witnessed recently when the India legend was attracting criticism for his strike rate in IPL 2025. Berating Kohli’s critics, the Protea released a video on his X channel in support of the 36-year-old.
With the massive moment happening in the cricketing circle, de Villiers also took to social media and shared a picture of himself with Kohli. Former South Africa skipper’s X post read, “Congrats to my biscotti @imVkohli on an epic Test career! Your determination & skill have always inspired me. True legend! #ViratKohli.”
Kevin Pietersen, Suresh Raina, and Irfan Pathan also react to Kohli’s retirement
Besides star South Africa legendary cricketer, former England batter Kevin Pietersen also reacted to Virat Kohli's retirement decision. Pietersen displayed shock with his post on X which read, “Virat?!?!” Kohli’s former Team India colleague Suresh Raina also put a heartwarming message on X, for the top-order batter.
Your passion & leadership in Test cricket have inspired millions, brother! Love and respect bro @imVkohli. Sad to see you step away, but your legacy will live on. #Legend #thankyouvirat. Ex-India pacer Irfan Pathan, who criticised Kohli for his performance following the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, also passed his good wishes to the right-handed batter on his decision.
Congratulations on a phenomenal Test career, Virat Kohli. As captain, you didn’t just win matches—you changed mindsets. You made fitness, aggression, and pride in whites the new standard. A true torchbearer of modern Indian Test cricket. #ThankYouVirat.
