Virat Kohli and SA batting great AB de Villiers, who represented RCB in the Indian Premier League (IPL), share a very special bond.
Kohli and De Villiers have played together for RCB for many years.
They have played some amazing innings for their side throughout their IPL career and were often involved in some entertaining partnerships.
Good camaraderie
Off the field too, the duo have been sharing a good camaraderie with De Villers revealing that he was in constant touch with Kohli during the star batsman's lean patch.
"Yes, we have been talking all the time. We spoke about inspiration and motivation. Telling him how good he is as a player and as a person. He shouldn't be worried too much. We have been in touch a lot. I know what it feels like to be down and it makes me happy to see him play well again," the former captain said on the sidelines of an event to announce the launch of Last Man Stands India Super League to be held in March next year.
Kohli has regained his form in the ongoing T20 World Cup following a torrid year during which he came under heavy criticism for his poor run with the bat.
Good signs
De Villers said he could see the star batsman returning to form few months back. "About a month ago, I tweeted that I was seeing some good signs (of Kohli returning to form) and he is playing good cricket now," De Villiers added.
Kohli was named the ICC Men's Player of the Month for October following a series of stellar performances during India's charge to the T20 World Cup semifinals in Australia. He also became the highest run-scorer in the history of the T20 World Cup.
No surprise
Asked if he was surprised by the way Kohli has batted in the T20 World Cup, De Villiers replied in negative. "I'm not surprised. We all know what he is capable of as a player. He is the great of the game and he has shown that no one can argue about that. It's great to see him on the top of the list and he deserves it. And if he breaks his shackles down like he has been doing for the last few weeks, I see a lot more years of worry for the bowlers," said De Villiers, who made his international debut in 2004 v England.
Wonderful Virat
Kohli played a huge role in India's thrilling win over Pakistan in their T20 World Cup opener at the iconic MCG. And Kohli came up with two game-changing sixes off quick Haris Rauf. One was a straight-bat six over the bowler's head and the next was a flick over fine-leg under extreme pressure. De Villiers said it is the result of the hardwork put in by Kohli.
"If you put in the hard work, magic tends to happen. That's exactly what happened. He was ready to put in the hard yards for the team and ultimately when the pressure was on he hit that sixes. I could see it coming the whole time so I was very happy for him," said De Villiers who represented RCB from 2011-2021 in 157 matches. He scored 4,522 runs at an average of 41.10. He scored two centuries and 37 fifties for the side at a strike rate of over 158.
