Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batter AB de Villiers has revealed that Virat Kohli tried to convince him not to retire from franchise cricket before he stepped away from the game in 2021.Speaking on TOI Sports’ Bombay Sports Exchange Podcast, de Villiers said Kohli made an effort to change his mind, but he had already decided it was the right time to move on. “Yes. He tried,” de Villiers said when asked if Kohli tried to stop him.The South African great retired from international cricket in 2018 after helping his team beat India and Australia at home. He continued playing franchise cricket, including for RCB in the Indian Premier League (IPL), before retiring from all forms of the game in 2021.“I walked away from international cricket exactly when I wanted to (2018). We had beaten India and Australia at home, and I left on a high.”“Then I decided I’d continue playing a few T20 tournaments, travel the world with my family, take them to the IPL, to England for the Blast, to Australia for the Big Bash and a few other tournaments. When I finally felt ready, I called it a day (from franchise cricket as well, in 2021).”De Villiers said retiring from the IPL was not a sudden decision and that he had been thinking about it throughout his final season.“It took time. That thought stayed in my mind throughout the final season or so. Eventually, I simply went up to Virat and said, ‘I’m done’,” de Villiers said.De Villiers also spoke about the pressure of playing in front of packed crowds at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where fans chanted his name.“That can be draining as well. Those moments also bring sleepless nights. It’s not all sunshine and roses. There are difficult moments too. The expectations and pressure you put on yourself can sometimes become suffocating. I’ve spoken about that before. I’m incredibly proud of what I achieved. But before big matches, I’d often struggle to sleep. I’d be so focused on making an impact for the team that I found it difficult to simply be myself. So it wasn’t always easy,” De Villiers said on TOI Sports’ Bombay Sports Exchange Podcast.Reflecting on life after retirement, he said the joy of success does not last long, even for the biggest players.“Of course, I miss those moments. When everything clicked and the crowd helped me enter that zone, it was an incredible feeling. But success disappears very quickly. Every champion will tell you the same thing. You win the biggest trophy, and an hour later you’re already asking yourself, “Now what?” Then your attention shifts immediately to the next trophy. You’re never fully satisfied with those achievements. Having said that, I can now look back at those memories with enormous gratitude.“
