Season after season, the Royal Challengers Bangalore have managed to assemble a set of match-winners, but the best team on paper has just not been able to translate it into a title-win. In his autobiography, AB de Villiers, one of the vital cogs of the RCB outfit, talks about Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli, and his experience of donning the red and gold jersey.
He admits how Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and himself make the core of the RCB batting order, enjoying each other’s company while playing in front of the Bangalore crowd. He then goes on to speak about the impact that Chris Gayle has at the top of the order, ‘standing tall’ and ‘bludgeoning the ball in the V’, using his bat like a ‘club’.
He doesn’t stop short of praising Virat Kohli, writing that the Indian captain’s bat is like a ‘surgeon’s knife’, and he has the unique skill to sniff out gaps and place the ball through them.
In the book, he also gives the fans a unique insight into the kind of relation he has with the RCB captain and the West Indian . According to his autobiography, he feels privileged to have spent time with ‘two of the finest ever to play the game’, having got the opportunity to train as well as party with the two.
He reveals the interesting conversations that Kohli and De Villiers have with each other, telling the readers about their mutual liking for nicknames. He explains how they use phrases like ‘Come on, you little biscuit’ and ‘Let’s play, you little beauty’ for each other, claiming that there has never been any rivalry between the two because they respect each other a lot.
He describes Kohli as an ‘incredibly generous’ person, who helps others with his advice and support. He also hailed the 27-year old for being a great competitor, claiming that he Kohli has helped him reach ‘new heights’ with his constant support.
Despite boasting of a star-studded line-up, the Royal Challengers haven’t been able to go the whole distance in any of the seasons. This year, they made a sensational comeback after starting off poorly, before falling at the last hurdle to end as the second best team in the competition.
He also talks about how Virat Kohli ‘dragged the team through the group stages’ on the basis of his willpower and batting prowess in this edition. In 14 group stage games, Kohli amassed a record breaking 919 runs, including four centuries and six 50s.
De Villiers doesn’t shy away from sharing his disappointment of the Bangalore franchise performing below expectations, stating that some people have blamed the poor team balance which they believe is skewed towards their batting.
Also read: When Ray Jennings reprimanded AB de Villiers
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