"He sent me a voice note, I got very emotional" - Virat Kohli on how AB de Villiers' told him he was done playing for RCB

AB de Villiers is a notable absentee for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in IPL 2022. It's safe to say that the squad, especially Virat Kohli, misses the explosive batter who was a vital cog for Bangalore from 2011.

De Villiers played 184 matches in the tournament, stacking up 5162 runs at an average of 39.71 and a strike rate of 151.69. He called time on his illustrious career in November 2021.

Former RCB skipper Virat Kohli relived the moment he heard from de Villiers that he wouldn't be playing anymore. Speaking on RCB's 'Bold Diaries', Kohli said he was emotional when he heard the news.

“It’s very strange. I clearly remember when he decided to finally call it a day. He sent me a voice note. I still remember we were coming back after the World Cup from Dubai, and I got a voice note. And I opened it and I listened to it. Anushka (Sharma) was with me, and I looked at her like this, and my face fell. She was like ‘What?’ I showed her the message, I showed her the WhatsApp chat and the voice note from AB de Villiers. And the first thing she said was ‘Don’t tell me'. She knew,” he said.

He added that de Villiers' mannerisms during IPL 2021 made him feel like it was the last IPL in which he would see his best mate suit up for RCB.

“I kind of had the impression or I kind of was guessing it in the last IPL. Because he kept telling me - our rooms were next to each other, and we would walk the same way and then disperse - and every time I walked to my room, he’d see me outside, he’d be like ‘I wanna see you for coffee one of these days'. And I kept getting nervous; I was like ‘I’m not sitting with you, I think there’s something coming,’ and he said ‘No man, there’s nothing. I just wanna sit and have a chat with you, it’s been a while’, and he never speaks like that, we interact all the time. So I knew something’s brewing up," Kohli added.

View the IPL 2022 orange cap here.

---

"I would be very emotional thinking about him first" — Virat Kohli on AB de Villiers if RCB win the IPL

Kohli and de Villiers' bond is something that makes for a fantastic IPL story. The duo's partnerships on the field have ensured quite a few thrilling and enigmatic victories for the franchise.

“It’s a very strange feeling. I got very emotional, and the voice note was very emotional for me when he said, 'Look, I don’t have it in me anymore'. I’ve shared so many moments with him - highs and lows - he’s been right next to me through thick and thin," Kohli said.

"I was actually thinking about it the other day. If we manage to win the title in the coming seasons - this one, next one, whatever it is - I would be very emotional thinking about him first. Rather than what I would experience after such hard work of so many years, I would actually think of him, how much it’d still mean to him, watching from home. He’s a special human being, he’s touched everyone’s lives here. We can all vouch for that, he’s been amazing. I don’t think there’s one person here who can say ‘AB has not contributed to my life in some way or the other'," he further added.

You can watch the complete interview here:

---

Related: RCB face KKR after loss to PBKS in season opener

Despite a scintillating performance with the bat that saw them notch up 205 against the Punjab Kings (PBKS), a below-par performance with the ball saw RCB taste defeat.

Odean Smith bludgeoned an eight-ball-25 at the death to see the Kings home with one over to spare. According to the IPL schedule 2022, Bangalore will now face Kolkata in their second IPL 2022 game at the DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai on Wednesday (March 30).