Former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batsman AB de Villiers revealed that Virat Kohli tried to convince him not to retire from franchise cricket before he leaves the game in 2021.Speaking on TOI Sports’ Bombay Sports Exchange Podcast, de Villiers said that Kohli is trying to change his mind, but he has decided that it is 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 to play 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 beat India and Australia at home, and I left on a high.”“Then I decided that I will continue to play some 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 some other tournaments. When I finally felt ready, I called it a day (from franchise cricket too, in 2021).De Villiers said that retiring from the IPL was not a sudden decision and that he thought about it during his last season.“It took time. That thought stayed in my mind for the whole last season or so. In the end, I just went to Virat and said, ‘I’m done’,” de Villiers said.De Villiers also spoke about the pressure of playing in front of a huge crowd at Bengaluru’s M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where fans chanted his name.“That’s discouraging too. Those moments also bring sleepless nights. It’s not all sunshine and roses. There are tough moments too. The expectations and pressure you put on yourself can sometimes be debilitating. I’ve talked about that before. I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved. myself. So it’s not 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 greatest players.“Of course, I miss those moments. When everything clicked and the crowd helped me to enter that zone, it was an amazing feeling. But success disappears very quickly. Every champion will tell you the same thing. You won the biggest trophy, and an hour later you already asked yourself, “Now what?” Then your attention will immediately move to the next trophy. big thanks.“