Inspired by India! AB de Villiers says cricket bat is a 'surgeon's knife' for Virat Kohli

New Delhi: Hailing Virat Kohli as one of the greatest, AB de Villiers documented in his autobiography that cricket bat is "a surgeon's knife" for the India Test captain.

"For Virat, the bat was a surgeon's knife, and he so often proved himself uniquely skilled at placing the ball in the gaps," de Villiers wrote in his autobiography.

The 32-year-old multi-talented cricketer also hailed his relationship with Kohli, saying it was indeed "a privilege".

They, along with West Indian Chris Gayle formed the back-bone of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for the last six years.

In his autobiography, 'AB: The Autobiography', the South African dedicated a chapter aptly called 'Inspired by India' to the Indian cricket, and many gifts it has given to the world, including the hugely successful IPL.

"It was the BCCI that built the platform on which cricketers were suddenly being paid up to USD 1.5 million to perform for seven weeks," he wrote about IPL.

But added a realistic note, that BCCI's "fellow administrators around the world recoiled in shock. Some responded by figuratively plunging their collective heads into the nearest bucket of sand, trying to pretend that the IPL did not exist; these governing bodies arranged international fixtures at the same time as the new league and so sought to prevent their leading players from taking the opportunity."

The book, which was officially launched on Friday at Johannesburg, will be available in India next week.

(With Agency inputs)