'Virat Kohli is like Roger Federer, Steve Smith is similar to Rafael Nadal,' says AB de Villiers

Virat Kohli is one of the IPL's greatest players

South African star cricketer AB de Villiers on Monday picked Virat Kohli as the better ball striker over Australia's Steve Smith.

The former South Africa captain, during a conversation with commentator Pommie Mbangwa on an Instagram Live session, drew parallels to the playing styles of Virat Kohli and Smith to the technique of tennis legends, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.

"Virat is more of a natural ball striker. If you look at natural ball strikers, Virat is like Federer. Smith is more like Nadal, he's mentally very strong. He's figured out a way to score runs, he doesn't look too natural but he manages to break records. Virat though has scored runs all over the world and he's my pick," said de Villiers.

AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli have enjoyed a great friendship on and off the field, having enjoyed multiple partnerships together for the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League.

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Cricket has given me many incredible memories - and, among the most precious, stands the partnership with @virat.kohli , playing for RCB and against Gujarat Lions in 2016. Everything clicked on what was a truly unforgettable night at the IPL. The capacity crowd at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium were going crazy, and we both scored centuries in a partnership of 229 runs from 96 balls. More importantly, RCB won the match by 144 runs. Now we find ourselves in a global crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, and Virat and I would like to help people in need, people struggling to put food on the table. So we are donating some of the key items from that special day in 2016 - Virat’s bat and gloves, my shirt and bat - and creating one unique auction item, on the Bid or Buy online platform(link in my bio-type key words in the search button to find the piece). All money raised will be donated to charities supporting people most severely affected by the crisis, split 50/50 between charities working in SA and India. Immediately after the auction closes on 10 May, 2020, I will personally contact the winner and make arrangements for the package to be delivered to your home. Take care and stay safe.

A post shared by AB de Villiers (@abdevilliers17) on Apr 27, 2020 at 12:28am PDT

The South African superstar joined RCB in 2011 and since then, he has formed an imperative part of RCB's batting order. Notably, de Villiers and Virat Kohli recently even put some memorabilia from their record 229-run partnership against the Gujarat Lions in IPL 2016 up for auction to raise funds for coronavirus relief efforts.

"Virat Kohli is the best run-chaser I've seen in my life"

During the conversation, Mbangwa also read out a fan question, which was for de Villiers to pick his favourite cricketer between Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli.

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When the team was in a spot of bother, we didn't need to look past @virat.kohli and @abdevilliers17 for inspiration! A 118 run partnership let us overhaul a steep target of 182 at Delhi with relative ease! #PlayBold #BestOfBold2018

A post shared by Royal Challengers Bangalore (@royalchallengersbangalore) on Dec 26, 2018 at 11:55pm PST

Having played alongside Virat Kohli for about eight years now, de Villiers spoke about how Tendulkar has been a role model for both him and Virat Kohli, but the RCB captain stands out in certain situations.

"Sachin has been a role model for both of us, the way he stood out in his era and the things he achieved with grace is a great example. Virat will also say that he's (Tendulkar) the main guy and he set the standards. When it comes to me personally, Virat is the best (in run-chases) I've seen in my life. Sachin was amazing in all situations, but in terms of chasing under pressure, Virat tops him," De Villiers said.