Tahir has established himself as the Proteas’ strike spinner, with his efforts at the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh in March particularly impressive.
He also had a good IPL for the Delhi Daredevils, so De Villiers is hoping the Sri Lankan decks will be as good to Tahir.
De Villiers said: “In the past he has done really well for us, in the 2011 World Cup in similar kind of conditions. He is definitely a big part of our team.
“He is an attacking bowler and we’re really excited to see him perform well in Sri Lanka.”
The first of three ODIs is on 6 July in Colombo, and then a two-match Test series starts on 16 July in Galle.