AB de Villiers' Surprising Confession: 'I Didn't Really Like Virat Kohli'
Virat Kohli recently announced his retirement from Test cricket, surprising fans around the world. Going forward, Kohli will focus exclusively on ODI cricket while continuing to play for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Recently, the ICC shared a special video featuring AB de Villiers speaking about his former RCB teammate Kohli. In a surprising revelation, de Villiers admitted that he initially did not like Kohli.
AB de Villiers' surprising admission
In an interview with the ICC, AB de Villiers opened up about his early impressions of Virat Kohli. He revealed that before getting to know Kohli personally, he wasn't particularly fond of him.
De Villiers explained that playing against Kohli was a tough challenge because of his intense competitiveness on the field. However, once they became teammates at RCB, their relationship changed, and they became close friends.
In the video shared on ICC's Instagram, de Villiers said, "Before knowing him, I didn't really like him."
“Virat is like a cricketing brother to me now — someone I grew very fond of after knowing him better. On the field, he’s a formidable opponent. Initially, I didn’t like him much because he was so talented and fiercely competitive — much like myself,” de Villiers said.
He added, “We both have a strong desire to win and to contribute fully to our teams. When that drive is challenged, it brings out an aggressive, combative side. That’s exactly how Virat was when we faced off.”
"Then I got to know him at RCB — I got to know him a lot better. We became family friends, became brothers, and also became great partners at the wicket when we played together. We really understood each other out there, and I probably enjoyed every second of playing with him."
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