AB de Villiers Explains Why Virat Kohli Is His Favourite T20 Batting Partner
AB de Villiers called Virat Kohli his favourite batting partner in T20s.
AB de Villiers went down in history as one of the most fierce batters in white-ball cricket, especially in T20s. Be it for South Africa or his franchise teams, De Villiers did something that most other batters can't even dare to do. His partner in crime at Indian Premier League franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore was none other than Virat Kohli, with the two creating a bond, both on and off the field, that would last till eternity.
De Villiers revealed that although his and Kohli's personalities clashed a little bit on the field, they found a way to make that work.
"I absolutely loved batting with Hashim Amla for the Proteas. I think we got some incredible partnerships together. In T20 cricket and IPL, definitely Virat. Our personalities and our way of playing clashed a little bit. We were both very intense. Both wanted to take the game away from the opposition immediately, which sounds like the dream partnership," he said in a Q&A session on YouTube.
"Sometimes it clashes, but Virat and I know each other so well, we managed to find a way to make it work because we understand each other's game so well. I know him so well off the field, we found a way to make that clash of personalities...," De Villiers added.
The bond that Virat and AB share isn't hidden from any cricket lover. What made them tick on the field for RCB was the fact that they always batted in 5th and 6th gear for the team.
"Sometimes, we would go too hard. He would get out, I would get out and all of a sudden RCB would be 30/3. Virat and I were fifth-sixth gear all the way guys, which paid off sometimes. In the IPL, I can think of that 200 partnership in Mumbai. At the Chinnaswamy, another 200 partnership. We always played for the team and nothing else mattered," the former South Africa captain explained.
AB de Villiers
Virat Kohli