“Cocky And Arrogant”: AB de Villiers’ Brutally Honest Take On His First Impression Of Virat Kohli

A misunderstood character, at least for the initial part of his career, Virat Kohli turned things around in his career in a way that not many could even imagine. The batter emerged as one of the finest the game has ever seen. But, during his early days as a cricketer, be it in international cricket or the Indian Premier League, many saw Kohli as an ‘arrogant’ person. AB de Villiers, in a chat with Chris Gayle ahead of the start of the IPL 2023 season, admitted that even he thought Kohli seemed ‘arrogant and cocky’ when he first met him.

In an episode of Bold Diaries, De Villiers was brutally honest about his first impression of Kohli. But, the former South Africa captain admitted that his views flipped the moment he got to know Virat ‘the human being’ from close quarters.

“Oh my goodness…I have had this question before and I had given this answer before as well. I think he was quite cocky and arrogant when I met him the first time. With that hairstyle and he had bit of a strut going…yes flamboyant, absolutely.

“But the minute I got to know him a bit better and watched him play I mean I’ve got as much respect for him but I got to know him better as a human being. I think he had a barrier around him when I met him the first time and that barrier opened up and I got to know the person. I didn’t not like him but you know what I’m saying. He’s a top person now but first impression was ufff…he’s got to come down to earth a bit,” De Villiers said in the video, during a chat with Gayle.

De Villiers went down in history as an RCB legend and one of the finest players to have ever graced the Indian Premier League. Gayle, who also donned the RCB jersey for a long time, had a candid chat with De Villiers where the two discussed some intriguing topics, narrating unheard tales from the past.