Former Proteas skipper AB de Villiers talked about the intensity of the star Indian batter Virat Kohli on the cricket field and revealed that the former Indian skipper Virat Kohli badly wants to win the IPL for the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Virat Kohli has been part of the Royal Challengers Bangalore since the start of the IPL in 2008, as he played some memorable knocks for the Bangalore-based franchise throughout the 16 seasons, but could not win a single trophy despite making it into the finals for three-times in the league.
AB de Villiers has played for RCB for a long period next to Virat Kohli, Speaking on his youtube Channel, the former South African skipper said that the Indian batting maestro has been very intense in the field and revealed that he always tried to calm him down in the batting and added that he always wants to win big games for the team giving his best in the field for the team at any moment of the game.
“He’s an incredible character, very intense on the cricket field. Throughout my whole IPL career, I have tried to calm him down. You can ask him; he’ll vouch for me. I’ve always tried to tell him, ‘Virat relax. It’s okay, everything is fine,’” AB de Villiers said.
“He so badly wants RCB to win, he would want to control every player on the field and make sure everyone is in the right place all the time, with every ball. You could see him get emotional on the field, which I absolutely love. He means good, he wants to win,” Ab de Villiers added.
Before retiring, de Villiers was one of RCB’s most important players since joining the franchise in 2011. De Villiers also helped RCB qualify for the IPL final twice. He also holds the record for the top two highest partnerships in IPL history with Virat Kohli.
If Virat Kohli Does That A Bit More, India Might Have A Very Good Chance – AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers said that Virat Kohli has calmed down a bit being the senior in the team at the moment and asserted that the former Indian skipper can contribute to the team’s success if he manages to control his emotions in the middle, which will eventually help the Indian team in the ODI World Cup.
“Sometimes he needs to calm down and he’s been doing that of late. I have seen him relaxed in taking on more of a senior role in the team and sort of doing the whole meditation kind of role. If Virat does that a bit more, India might have a very good chance in this World Cup to bring that trophy home,” Ab de Villiers further added.
Virat Kohli is a brilliant batter across the three formats of the game, his domination in ODI cricket has been of a different level altogether. The 34-year-old has returned to his usual best as he smashed three ODI hundreds in 2023 and would continue his form in ODI Cricket ahead of the important Asia Cup and ODI World Cup.