Virat Kohli, the former captain of India, has discussed how AB de Villiers, a former colleague at Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), was crucial to his memorable trip to England in 2018. Many questioned the former captain of India’s Test team after he had a poor experience in England in 2014.
The right-handed batter has only managed 134 runs in 10 innings due to his struggles in swinging conditions. England speed spearhead James Anderson had dismissed him four times as India lost the series 3-1.
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Virat Kohli rapidly recovered from his setback and soon cemented his position as the top Test batsman in the world. Throughout the 2014 and 2018 tours of England, he amassed 15 hundred, including six double hundreds. Also, he made history by becoming the first batsman to record double hundreds in four straight series.
His detractors continued to highlight his shortcomings in England despite the excellent run. The top batsman had the chance in 2018 to respond to his detractors in a suitable manner, which he did. He finished the series with the most runs scored, scoring 593 runs at an average of 59.30 in 5 Tests. Moreover, he amassed two centuries, including one of 103 in the third Test, which India won over England at Trent Bridge.
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“You’ll be absolutely fine”: Virat Kohli on AB de Villiers’ contribution
Virat Kohli has told how his close buddy and South African legend AB de Villiers inspired him before the series, more than 4 years after his amazing performance in England. The seasoned batsman admitted on the RCB podcast that his inability to play for Surrey prior to the England tour had him concerned.
Virat Kohli said, "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". (To RCB Podcast).
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“I spoke to AB De Villiers after I couldn’t play County cricket in 2018 due to a neck issue. I told him I’m feeling very jittery, AB told me ‘it’s not 2014 and you’re not the same player. You’ll be absolutely fine. I became very calm after that,” Kohli said.
De Villiers shocked the game when he announced his retirement from international cricket in May, at the age of 34, with a 50-over World Cup scheduled for 2019.
Virat Kohli | Rohit Sharma | Rishabh Pant | KL Rahul | Suryakumar Yadav | Sanju Samson | Shreyas Iyer | Yuzvendra Chahal | Jasprit Bumrah
