IPL 2021: AB de Villiers gives honest opinion on Virat Kohli's decision to step down as RCB captain

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) is done for 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL), as it has finished fourth after getting knocked out in the Eliminator of the Playoffs against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). As RCB's hunt for its maiden IPL title continues, it also ended Kohli's nine-year stint as the RCB skipper.

During the United Arab Emirates (UAE) leg of the tournament, Kohli had announced his decision to step down, as the announcement came just days after he had decided to do the same for Team India in the Twenty20s. Meanwhile, Kohli's RCB teammate AB de Villiers has given his honest opinion on Kohli's decision.

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"I think Virat's had an unbelievable run as captain. It's been a privilege to play under him. I've been a fan of him leading over the last few years because of all the pressure he has taken on board over the years with the Indian team plus the IPL. I feel this could be an environment where he could come out and have a bit of fun and sort of step away from Indian cricket for a while, have a bit of fun in the T20s at the IPL with a lot of international friends around and then go back into the high-pressure environment of captaining India in the formats. That's been the chat for the last couple of years," he said on RCB's YouTube channel.

"It's got nothing to do with his ability as captain. We all know that he's been unbelievable for us. Always lead from the front for RCB. Always made the best possible decisions for the team. He's had a fantastic run. I'm sad to see him go as captain. But, hopefully, we'll have a few more years together in the team and win some trophies for the boys," he added.

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De Villiers defended Kohli's decision, as he related it to his similar case with South Africa. Moreover, he feels that relinquishing the captaincy duties would help Kohli present a better version of himself.

"I've been in the same boat before, and I can relate to what he is feeling and what he's been through. So, there's a misperception, in my opinion, when it comes to the public when they see people stepping down out of certain roles to let a bit of that workload go. Where they see it as being selfish, it is exactly the opposite. It is not being selfish. Because of him doing that, he can be a better version of himself," he continued.

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"There can be a captain coming in with that same kind of energy that he's had for the last seven-eight years. I was in the same position, took quite a lot of criticism for letting some things go, where I felt I was actually doing the right thing for the team and not being selfish in the same process. Sometimes, it can be a bit misleading, and people see it as 'oh, he is now thinking about himself, he is protecting himself. It is exactly the opposite actually," he concluded.