AB de Villiers reveals 'biggest threat' from Virat Kohli during his career, says batter should not open in T20Is

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AB de Villiers has Virat Kohli to bat at number three in the T20I format in the lead up to the T20 World Cup 2024. De Villiers said that Virat Kohli playing at number three was the biggest threat for South Africa during his international career.

The former RCB player called his former teammate at the franchise the glue of the Indian batting unit. He said that Virat Kohli led the way for the Indian middle-order on several occasions, and has also hung around with the tailenders to put India in solid positions.

"I have a different opinion. For the most part of my international career, Virat batting at No. 3 was the biggest threat for us when we played against India.

"I've always felt like he was the glue of the team in the middle-order. No. 3 is not quite middle-order, it is top-order. But he is so good that he often combined with the middle-order, even down to tailenders. It's just impossible to play against that," De Villiers said on his YouTube channel.

AB de villiers also showed reservations against Virat Kohli opening the innings. He said chances of good deliveries with the new ball are high, and exposing Kohli to that might not be a good idea.

"With a new ball, facing the first few deliveries there, I just think that the chances of getting a good delivery up front are so much better. I'm worried about that position," De Villiers said.

With the T20 World Cup 2024 approaching, the idea of Virat Kohli opening the innings has once again popped up. However, the chances of the idea becoming a reality is dim. Rohit Sharma is a certainty at the top, and a flamboyant Yashasvi Jaiswal has almost ascertained his place as his opening partner.