Virat Kohli might be going through the worst form of his life, yet he remains one of the batters that the opposition bowlers dread to bowl to. After a bit of a lengthy break, the former India captain will be seen in action in the upcoming Asia Cup 2022 with hopes of runs flowing from his bat.
The same hope has been shown by former South Africa cricketer AB de Villiers, who shares a brotherly equation with Kohli, given they spent more than a decade playing for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
De Villiers, who retired from the game after the IPL 2021 in an interview with NDTV, called Virat Kohli a world-class batter and one of the greatest cricketers to ever play the game.
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"Virat is one of the greatest cricketers ever to play the game. The form is temporary, class is permanent. Virat remains world-class. Virat and I remain in regular contact. We are friends, and he certainly does not need me to tell him the importance of working hard during a bad patch," De Villiers told NDTV.
He also revealed that he enjoys watching Suryakumar Yadav play and said that he should be given a chance to be himself when asked about the Indian batter’s way of batting being compared to his by former Australia captain Ricky Ponting.
When asked about his association with RCB, de Villiers said: "I have been privileged to be associated with RCB for many years, and remain in close contact with the franchise. I am looking forward to being inducted into the RCB Hall of Fame at some stage during the 2023 IPL - that will be a great honor."
AB de Villiers also spoke about his recent partnership with Make a Difference (MAD), an NGO to volunteer his time in mentoring underprivileged children.
Speaking about the same, he said: "I will be happy. That will be worthwhile. Of course, we plan to have a positive impact on many, many lives, but each one matters."
(NDTV inputs)
