Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers are not only star batsmen in the RCB camp but are also good friends. In an interview, the two talk about the connection they share and first impressions.
Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers
Royal Challengers Bangalore resurrected from their slump during the latter half of the IPL 2019 group stages but sadly could not make it to the playoffs. Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers are not only star batsmen in the RCB camp but are also good friends. In an interview, the two talk about the connection they share and first impressions.
Let’s talk about first impressions about each other. How excited were you? Were you like ‘oh okay AB is coming!’
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Virat Kohli: Actually, what happened was after the retention happened. It happened during the December or January phase if I am not wrong. We were playing South Africa. I remember the South African team walked out from the tunnel in the Johannesburg stadium. I still remember that moment and I went up to him and said, welcome to RCB and now we are going to be teammates. He said to look forward to that and I said, same. That was the only conversation we had and after that we connected when he came down to Bangalore. So, I still remember that conversation because we were in South Africa when we had the first conversation about RCB and he came down and the way we clicked from the first session onwards was very very crucial in terms of representing what IPL is in my opinion and representing what RCB is as well.
Also Read: IPL 2019: Royal Challengers Bangalore's story - 1st half bitter, 2nd half better
What about you AB? You saw him in the tunnel, he was just taking those steps actually towards International Cricket becoming the force to reckon with. That journey we have heard it from Virat Kohli a few times now what was your first impression when you met him and over the years what is it that you have seen that has turned him into the great man he is now?
AB de Villiers: That is almost a lie. I heard about Virat from Mark Boucher. They used to play for RCB a long time ago. He used to tell me that this youngster is called Virat Kohli. I would always say ‘yeah yeah’. I would always hear that he is a little bit ahead of himself, he thinks he is the main show. But I always remember Boucher’s words. Always remember this guy. He can play and he is going to be the number one player one day and then I got to know him and there is this all different side of Virat that not many people know. Very calm and genuine heart. We call each other brothers, its 100% the truth. I have spent a lot of time with him now, and have got to know the guy, got to know his wife. I know all about him as a person which is much more than just the cricket player. We know what he has achieved as a cricket player. The nice thing as I say we get an opportunity in IPL to get to know the people and I got the opportunity to get to know him. I would not change that for the world. It’s a friendship that will last forever, it’s very very special.
What do you guys talk about on the field?
Virat Kohli: It was one thing which was a revelation. How quickly we got to understand each other’s game right from season one. I mean the way he plays the way he thinks about the game. I thought about the game in the same manner. So, when we talk about the game, about the importance of making the one into two. That comes naturally. It cannot be taught. So, we just clicked and how. The best one was he walks in and he would ask me what was going on -on the pitch. Similarly, I would ask him what’s happening and boom we go. We don’t even talk about you doing this and I doing this or whatever. It is pure simple connect and understanding and we look into each other’s eye. We don’t have to say anything. It's trust. Its pure expression of our abilities and we have fun doing that together.
Also Read: IPL 2019: Learnt a lot from Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers: Shimron Hetmyer
AB de Villiers: We need to understand the bigger cause which is to understand the team goals. We both understand it. There is an immediate intensity and we know the team needs us now.
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