AB de Villiers on Kohli: 'He was arrogant when I first met him'

By  India Blooms News Service   Mar 30, 2023

Bengaluru/UNI: He was quite cocky and arrogant when I met him for the first time. He had this hairstyle and smirk, said AB de Villiers commenting on his first impression of now Indias cricket icon Virat Kohli.

But the moment I came to know him better, I knew that he was a different guy. The more I knew him, the more my respect for him grew as a human. I think that he has a barrier around him when I got to meet him for the first time.

And that barrier opened up when I started interacting with him as a person. Lots of respect after our first meeting, the former South Africa Test player added.

De Villiers shared these thoughts in a recent episode of the RCB Bold Diaries.

Talking about what he felt about the Chinnaswamy stadium, De Villiers referred to a point Gayle made and said, As you touched on it, it is like an incredible cricket ground. Same with me, as you mentioned that you would get yourself into trouble because you wanted to just bring out the best in us.

Its not a bad thing. The fans, the people, the team bus on the way, I would always remember those butterflies when I saw those fans going absolutely crazy.

He further added, When we were about to enter the Chinnaswamy, the crowd would absolutely go berserk. The people are so close to the field that they would always bring out the best in us and they are always that pumped up.

That energy in them was so contagious that it would rub off me and it would leave me all stoked up. So, yeah, great memories.