Former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) player AB de Villiers has shared his first impression of Virat Kohli during an interaction with Chris Gayle on the RCB podcast. De Villiers, who joined RCB in 2011, revealed that when he first met Kohli, he found him "cocky and arrogant" due to his flamboyant hairstyle and demeanor.
However, the South African great quickly changed his opinion of Kohli after getting to know him better. He praised Kohli's qualities as a human being, stating that his perception of the Indian skipper underwent a significant shift once he got to know him more closely.
De Villiers and Kohli formed a formidable partnership in RCB's batting lineup for almost a decade and established a strong rapport with each other. De Villiers retired from all formats of cricket in 2021, but Kohli continues to be an essential component of the RCB team.
Recently, RCB inducted De Villiers into their Hall of Fame and retired his jersey number 17 as a tribute to his valuable contributions to the franchise. The South African legend featured in 144 matches for RCB and scored close to 5,000 runs.
RCB will begin their IPL 2023 campaign on April 2 against Mumbai Indians at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, and fans will undoubtedly miss the partnership between De Villiers and Kohli. However, the team remains confident in their ability to perform well and hopes to achieve great success in the upcoming season.