Former South Africa batting great AB de Villiers has ranked his RCB team mate and Indian skipper Virat Kohli as the best batsman in the world while chasing down targets. The Proteas batting wizard's remarks came as he was asked to pick his choise between Kohli and Sachin Tendulkar.

"Sachin is a role model for both of us, the way he stood out in his era, the things he achieved and with the grace he did all that is a great example for everyone. And I think Virat will also say that he set the standards for us to follow," ESPNCricinfo quoted de Villiers as saying to former Zimbabwe pacer Pommie Mbangwa during an Instagram Live session.

"But personally, in a chase, I'd say Virat is the best I've seen in my life. Sachin was amazing in all formats and all situations, but Virat comes out on top while chasing," he added.

The comparisons between Kohli and Sachin have kept on growing and many have backed the current the Indian skipper to break the numerous records set by Tendulkar.

Tendulkar managed to call time on his career after registering 100 international centuries, while Kohli currently has 70 centuries across all formats.

When asked to choose one between Kohli and Steve Smith, de Villiers sidestepped the question, highlighting the good points of both the batsmen.

"It is a difficult one, but Virat is definitely the more natural ball-striker, there's no doubt about that. In tennis terms, I would say he is more like a Roger Federer whereas Smith is like a Rafael Nadal. Smith is mentally very strong and figures out a way of scoring runs - he doesn't look natural, but he ends up writing records and doing amazing things at the crease," de Villiers said.

"I think mentally, Smith is one of the best I have ever seen. Virat has also scored runs all over the world and won games under pressure," he added.

Virat and de Villiers have been team-mates for a while now as both players represent Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

Kohli has played 177 matches for RCB so far and has managed to score 5,412 runs in the tournament.

He also picked up the Orange Cap in 2016 edition after scoring 973 runs, including four centuries and seven half-centuries.

On the other hand, de Villiers has played 126 matches for RCB and has registered 3,724 runs for the franchise.

Kohli and de Villiers have formed a lethal partnership over the years and the duo are the pillars of the RCB side.

However, RCB is yet to win an IPL trophy.