South African legend AB de Villiers compared Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) head coach Chandrakant Pandit with the Premier League’s Liverpool FC manager Jürgen Klopp. He also added that their hands-on approach and passionate involvement with the team make them different from more “withdrawn” coaches.

“I have really enjoyed what I have seen with him,” AB de Villiers said in a video on his YouTube channel. “He’s a really confident guy. He looks like one of the team players, like he’s part of the team. Sometimes coaches are a bit more withdrawn from the side. With a bit more of an aura and a presence, this guy feels the match. He reminds me of Jürgen Klopp from Liverpool. He wears his heart on his sleeve, he’s very involved with his players and you can see it means a lot to him.”

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However, Klopp is currently in his final season at Liverpool after transforming not only the team’s fortunes in the Premier League but also the way football is played in England. Last year, Shreyas Iyer wasn’t available as he was out injured. Now that he’s back, KKR have appointed last year’s interim leader Nitish Rana as the vice-captain as well.

“I have a lot of respect for this guy (Iyer), love the attacking nature of cricket that he plays in all formats of the game,” de Villiers concluded. “Captain KL Rahul plays a huge role and is also part of the reason why these guys have been so consistent. He’s very calm and composed and certainly helps them out in performing consistently. He’s a classy captain… [He has] over 4000 runs. He’s a fantastic opening batsman.”He has batted at number three sometimes as well but I think opening the batting is where he’s the best and I am pretty sure we’ll see him perform there.”

AB de Villiers added, “I am really, really excited to watch him perform. I think he’s got something incredibly special. He’s one of those bowlers that want the ball in pressure situations. He’s one talented young gun to watch out for.”