NEW DELHI: The camaraderie between Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers is known to the cricketing world with both players creating numerous records for the Royal Challengers Bangalore franchise. Their 229-run partnership is the highest ever in IPL history for any wicket.
But the South African great spilled the beans when he first met the ex-skipper he found him “cocky and arrogant”.
“I’ve heard this question before. I’m going to give an honest answer. I thought he was quite cocky when I met him for the first time. He had this hairstyle going and he was quite flamboyant,” De Villiers said during an interaction with Chris Gayle on RCB podcast.

De Villers joined RCB in 2011 and established a strong rapport with Kohli. The duo together became the mainstay of RCB’s batting lineup for almost a decade in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
De Villiers announced his retirement from all formats of cricket in November 202 while Kohli continues to be an essential component of the RCB team.
ABD further said that his perception of Kohli changed as soon he got to know him closely. “But the minute I got to know him better as a human, I think he had a barrier around him when I met him for the first time, that barrier opened up. Lots of respect after that first meeting. He is a top man but my first impression was like ‘woah’,” he said.

De Villiers, who featured in 144 matches for RCB and scored close to 5,000 runs, was recently inducted into RCB’s Hall of Fame and his jersey No. 17 was retired as a mark of respect for his contributions.
As a tribute to his valuable contributions to the franchise, De Villiers was inducted into RCB’s Hall of Fame, and his jersey number 17 was retired as a mark of respect.
RCB will begin their IPL 2023 campaign on April 2 against Mumbai Indians at M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
(With IANS Inputs)