“I spoke to AB De Villiers…”: Virat Kohli reveals how AB de Villiers motivated him before the ENG Test series of 2018

“I spoke to AB De Villiers after I couldn’t play County cricket in 2018 due to neck issue. I told him I’m feeling very jittery…"

Star Indian batter Virat Kohli has revealed how his former Royal Challengers Bangalore teammate and best friend AB de Villiers played a key role in his memorable tour of England in 2018.

Virat Kohli had a terrible tour of England in 2014. He was able to score only 134 runs in 10 innings as he struggled in the swinging conditions. This made many question his credentials as a Test batsman. 

Also read: IPL 2023: AB de Villiers to Mentor Royal Challengers Bangalore- Reports

However, 2018 was an opportunity for the star batsman to give a fitting reply to his critics and he did. In 5 Tests, he scored 593 runs at an average of 59.30 and finished the series as the highest run-getter.

Talking on this matter, Virat Kohli recently revealed on the RCB Podcast how his former RCB teammate and best friend, AB de Villiers, motivated him before the series.

“I spoke to AB De Villiers after I couldn’t play County cricket in 2018 due to neck issue. I told him I’m feeling very jittery, AB told me ‘its not 2014 and you’re not the same player. You’ll be absolutely fine’. I became very calm after that,” Kohli said. 

IPL 2024

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