"Thought He Was A Bit...": AB De Villiers Reveals His First Impression Of Virat Kohli

Whenever we talk about Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), there are two names that come to our mind, and that are of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. Over the years, Virat and de Villiers have formed a brilliant partnership while playing for the RCB. While Kohli has been a one team man in the IPL, having played every season for RCB so far, de Villiers joined the franchise in 2011, after having spent a few seasons at Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals).

While speaking on the RCB podcast, de Villiers revealed his first impression of the former India captain, saying that he thought Virat "was a bit cocky" during the early days of his career.

"We ran into each other few times before we properly met. I knew about him, he knew about me. I said it a few times that I thought he was a bit cocky when he was a youngster, so that was my initial impression. Even though I could see that he has got respect and the basics are in place, I felt like he has got a bit of swagger going in. So, I didn't hold it against him because you need it at that point of age. We had a really short discussion, I didn't give him any compliments or anything like that. But, I remember clearly at Wanderers when I got picked up by RCB, and it was nice discussion of looking forward to play together," said de Villiers.

Despite saying that he is someone who doesn't keep in touch with people, de Villiers said that his friendship with Virat "just happened", adding that he relates a lot to the way the India batter plays.

"Once I got to Bangalore, we sort of the connection just kicked off straight away. Our proper friendship started when I started playing for RCB in 2011. That's probably when we started becoming good friends. I am kind of a guy where I don't really keep in touch but for some reason with Virat it just happens, so we stay in touch. It's easy as he is on telly (Television) the whole time when I am at home," he said.

"We both have a lot of basics in common. The way we play the game is quite similar. He is fighter and I sort of relate to the way he plays the game and another fighter in the team, would have great," he added.

De Villiers, 37, announced his retirement from all formats of the game last year in November.

However, he could soon be seen in a new role, as he has expressed his desire to mentor the youngsters in South Africa, as well as at RCB.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team South Africa Cricket Team Royal Challengers Bangalore Virat Kohli AB de Villiers Cricket IPL 2022