This is why AB de Villiers is one of a kind

AB de Villiers stepped down as South Africa's Test captain on Monday. The stand-in-skipper Faf du Plessis will replace him as the permanent captain. De Villiers has been out of action for a long time due to an elbow injury.

De Villiers, who has been out of action for a very long time due to an injury to his elbow, is not sure when will he recover fully and return to cricket.

Moreover, after South Africa's 2-1 victory under Faf du Plessis against Australia Down Under assured him that his side was in the right hands.

"The interests of the team must always outweigh the interests of any individual, including me," de Villiers, who will remain South Africa's ODI captain, said.

Knowing how badly AB wanted to lead his country in the Tests, his decision showed his character that keeps his apart from the rest of the players. Firdose Moonda, ESPNCricinfo's South African correspondent, summed it up perfectly:

"The truth is that no one has professed their love for South Africa more than de Villiers, and in stepping down he proved that if you love something, you can let it go!"

The truth is that no one has professed their love for South Africa more than de Villiers, and in stepping down he proved that if you love something, you can let it go

While there is someone like AB de Villiers who let his 'favourite' job go away from him due to unavoidable circumstances, there have also been legendary cricketers who succumbed to the immense pressure the role gets along and resigned.

Let's go through the list (all formats):

Hashim Amla:

Following a drawn series against Bangladesh and a 0-3 loss to India, Amla quit as South Africa's Test skipper saying he wanted to focus on his own game. De Villiers had succeeded him.

Kumar Sangakkara:

Sangakkara decided to not continue to lead Sri Lanka in the ODIs and T20Is after his side's loss in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 final against India.

Sachin Tendulkar:

South Africa toured India for a two-Test in 1999. After losing the first Test inside three days in Tendulkar's home ground, Wankhede, a frustrated Tendulkar resigned as India's captain. The second Test was due to start in a few days.

After the BCCI forced the Master Blaster, he led India in the second Test too, however, against his will.

Kevin Pietersen:

Due to the cricketer's falling relationship with the England Cricket Board and English media, he chose to quit as England's captain with immediate effect in 2008. He led England in just three Tests and nine ODIs during his five-month spell as the English skipper.

Shahid Afridi:

The always "sweet-16" legendary batsman stepped down as Pakistan's T20I captain after his side failed to make it to the semi-final of ICC World T20 2016.

Tillakaratne Dilshan:

Dilshan, who replaced Sangakkara as Sri Lanka's captain across format, also resigned because his form dropped due to the pressure of captaincy. Under Dilshan, Sri Lanka lost series against England, Pakistan, South Africa and Australia that led to Dilshan's stepping down.