Conservation Africa News – Virat Kohli more reliable than me, we make a nice combination: AB de Villiers

By: Sports Desk |

Updated: July 2, 2020 3:45:22 pm

Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers are the only two players with two 200+ partnerships in T20s. (File Photo/BCCI)

Speaking about his rapport with Virat Kohli at Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), AB de Villiers said they make a ‘nice combination’ because of their contrasting styles. He also elaborated on what techniques the two have picked up from each other.

“We take on different bowlers. I personally like to attack a little earlier, not to show weakness early on. I am earlier to the trigger. I want the bowlers to feel early on that it will be trouble if I’m allowed to bat for 5 overs,” De Villiers told Harsha Bhogle on a Cricbuzz in Conversation episode on Wednesday.

“Virat is a more reliable batsman. He’s the one you want to bat for 15 overs. I am better in a way I could change the game quicker, have an injection that could swing the game. So together we are a nice combo,” he said.

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Cricket has given me many incredible memories – and, among the most precious, stands the partnership with @virat.kohli , playing for RCB and against Gujarat Lions in 2016. Everything clicked on what was a truly unforgettable night at the IPL. The capacity crowd at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium were going crazy, and we both scored centuries in a partnership of 229 runs from 96 balls. More importantly, RCB won the match by 144 runs. Now we find ourselves in a global crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, and Virat and I would like to help people in need, people struggling to put food on the table. So we are donating some of the key items from that special day in 2016 – Virat’s bat and gloves, my shirt and bat – and creating one unique auction item, on the Bid or Buy online platform(link in my bio-type key words in the search button to find the piece). All money raised will be donated to charities supporting people most severely affected by the crisis, split 50/50 between charities working in SA and India. Immediately after the auction closes on 10 May, 2020, I will personally contact the winner and make arrangements for the package to be delivered to your home. Take care and stay safe.

A post shared by AB de Villiers (@abdevilliers17) on Apr 27, 2020 at 12:28am PDT

Kohli and De Villiers are the only two players with two 200+ partnerships in T20s. They have nine 100+ partnerships for RCB in 69 innings. Saying the two of them enjoy batting in each other’s company, De Villiers spoke about what they have learnt from each other.

Agreeing with Zaheer Khan’s input that Kohli picked up the nuances of the pull and hook shots from him, De Villiers said he had a natural advantage with short balls because of the kind of pitches in South Africa, and so he passed on some inputs to Kohli on that. He added that he himself has picked up techniques on playing spin bowling from Kohli.

READ | Enjoy batting with Dhoni, ABD the most: Kohli

“You need to extend your arms with the short ball. It’s a difficult one for the mind to understand. The quicker the bowler is, the more you think you need more time, you need to pull in. But you actually need to (extend your arms and) fetch it. It becomes a lot easier to control it. That’s what I think Virat got right in the last few years. He extends his arms and then rolls his wrists to keep it down,” De Villiers said.

He also said Kohli would belong to the category of great batsmen because of how he raises his game when his team needs him to bail them out.

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