'Arrogant and cocky': De Villiers on why Virat Kohli seemed 'overly confident'
Former South African cricket captain AB de Villiers reflected on his initial impression of Virat Kohli, admitting he once viewed the Indian star as 'arrogant and cocky.' He clarified that this perception was a misunderstanding of Kohli's intense self-belief and competitive drive as a young player.
Why it matters
The story provides insight into the psychological development of elite athletes and how early-career confidence is often misconstrued by peers.
Virat Kohli's close friendship with AB de Villiers is one of the most enduring bonds in cricket, strengthened over the years by their time together at Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, their relationship did not begin with the kind of admiration that defines it today, with the former South Africa captain admitting that his first impression of the Indian batting great was that he was "arrogant and cocky".Speaking on a podcast with Prakhar Gupta, De Villiers looked back at his initial perception of Kohli and explained why the young Indian had come across that way when they first met.Asked whether he had genuinely considered Kohli "arrogant and cocky", De Villiers did not deny it."Yeah, and I think he'll agree with that," he said.The South African great clarified that what he had initially interpreted as arrogance was largely Kohli's extraordinary self-belief.
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