Legendary South Africa cricket team star AB De Villiers revealed that his former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) teammate Virat Kohli asked him to not say ‘Ee sala cup namde'. The famous RCB chant means 'This year, the cup will be ours' and it holds a special place among the fanbase. However, De Villiers, who played for the franchise between 2011 and 2021, said that he received a text from Virat to not use the chant anymore. However, he said that he will join the celebrations when RCB finally clinch the IPL title - an achievement that has eluded them in the past 17 editions.
“I honestly, said those words the other day and I got a direct message from Virat, and he said, please just stop doing that now. So I got into a bit of trouble. But to be fair, I am exhausted saying it all the time, that the trophy is coming this season. Guys, it is the IPL, there are 10 world-class teams that could possibly even win a World Cup, never mind the IPL. It is an incredibly difficult tournament to win,” said De Villiers on the Star Sports Press Room show.
"There are so many factors that play a role from travelling, different teams, different strategies, and injuries. So many things change throughout the season, but it is the team that manages to find a way to keep that fuel in the tank for the back end of the tournament that generally comes out on top. The teams that make their home advantage count, we see them come out on top. So I hope that this is the year, the 18th season, number 18 on the back. I will be there to lift that trophy with Virat if it happens," he added.
South African batting great AB de Villiers believes Virat Kohli should focus on playing smart cricket and continue controlling the game this season as RCB possess immense firepower with Phil Salt expected to ease the pressure on the Indian superstar.
Despite being one of RCB's most consistent performers, Kohli's strike rate was a topic of discussion past two seasons.
However, with the Bengaluru franchise acquiring the English duo of Salt and Liam Livingstone, along with Australian Tim David and West Indian Romario Shepherd -- all fearless strikers of the ball -- de Villiers feels Kohli can play with more freedom.
"Virat seems to be enjoying his cricket. I don't think he's going to have to up his strike rate batting with Phil Salt," de Villiers said on JioStar Press Room on Tuesday.
(With PTI inputs)