AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli (Image credit: BCCI/IPL) NEW DELHI: As the cricketing world gears up for IPL 2026, one of the tournament’s most iconic ‘bromance’ is back in the limelight. AB de Villiers, the legendary South African batsman and former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) stalwart, has candidly admitted his first impression of former captain Virat Kohli.While the duo ended up becoming the most feared batting pair in T20 history, De Villiers revealed that it wasn’t exactly “friendship at first sight”. He talks about their early meetings at Mbangwa Media does not follow anyone. Autodesk_newthe man known as Mr. 360 admitted that Kohli’s initial behavior had rubbed him the wrong way.“I didn’t really like him at first to be honest. He was a bit cocky, you know, and I’ve told him that before. I’ve said that in many interviews. We kind of laugh about it now,” De Villiers remarked.
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Jay Shah calls 2019 to 2026 as the golden era of Indian cricketHowever, the Proteas legend was quick to clarify that this perceived arrogance was actually a mirror image of his own personality. “Why I say cocky is because I’ve probably seen something similar to what I have in him; it’s that competitiveness,” he added. “It’s something you’re born with, I don’t like to lose, nothing’s going to change that. So I probably saw that in Virat when I met him.”The ice began to melt as the two spent more time together on the international circuit. De Villiers noted that beneath the aggressive exterior lies a cricketer driven by a deep sense of duty to his team.“Then in the second or third meeting, when I heard his voice and heard him speak, I thought, oh, well, he’s also just human, you know, just a nice guy who has a deep desire to perform and win cricket for his country,” he added.The foundation of their legendary RCB partnership was actually laid during a thrilling Test match at Wanderers after RCB picked Kohli. Despite being in the heat of the international battle, Kohli reached out to his future teammate.“And I remember him coming up to me in that tunnel and saying, ‘I’m glad you’re on our team.’ And we kind of vibed like we were good friends. In the middle of a test match we barely spoke and he just said, ‘Yes, I’m so glad we got you.’ I’m like, okay, this guy actually likes me, maybe we could be friends,” De Villiers recalled.
