AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli have shared a special rapport with each other in the Indian Premier League. Both the players were a dangerous combination when batting together and have defeated teams at their will. The two share a great respect for each other. But the former South African captain has recalled his first meeting with the former Indian captain in the IPL.
In a video shared by the IPL franchise RCB, De Villiers and another RCB great Chris Gayle talked about Kohli. The Proteas star stated that he found Kohli 'cocky and arrogant' when he first met him.
"Oh my goodness. I have had this question before and I had given this answer before as well. I think he was quite cocky and arrogant when I met him the first time. With that hairstyle and he had a bit of a strut going," de Villiers said. Gayle added, "Flamboyant, was he?"
“Yes absolutely. But when I got to know him a bit better and watched him play I mean I've got as much respect for him but I got to know him better as a human being. I think he had a barrier around him when I first met him and that barrier opened up and I got to know the person. I didn't not like him but you know what I'm saying. He's a top person now but my first impression was ufff. he's got to come down to earth a bit," he added.
Recently de Villiers and Chris Gayle were added to the Hall of fame of RCB. The franchise also retired their jersey numbers in a mark of respect for the duo. While Kohli still plays for RCB, de Villiers announced his retirement from the franchise in 2021. Gayle parted ways with the team in 2018 and played for Punjab Kings for three seasons and later retired in 2021.
RCB's squad for 2023 IPL:
Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammad Siraj, Faf Du Plessis, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik, Shahbaz Ahemad, Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat, Akash Deep, Josh Hazlewood, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Suyash Prabhudessai, Karn Sharma, Siddharth Kaul, David Willey, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Rajan Kumar, Avinash Singh, Sonu Yadav, Micheal Bracewell
