AB de Villiers Explains Why Virat Kohli Is His Favourite T20 Batting Partner

27.08.2023 - 06:15 sports.ndtv.com

AB de Villiers went down in history as one of the most fierce batters in white-ball cricket, especially in T20s. Be it for South Africa or his franchise teams, De Villiers did something that most other batters can't even dare to do.

His partner in crime at Indian Premier League franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore was none other than Virat Kohli, with the two creating a bond, both on and off the field, that would last till eternity.

De Villiers revealed that although his and Kohli's personalities clashed a little bit on the field, they found a way to make that work. "I absolutely loved batting with Hashim Amla for the Proteas.

I think we got some incredible partnerships together. In T20 cricket and IPL, definitely Virat. Our personalities and our way of playing clashed a little bit.

cricket AB de Villiers partner Virat Kohli South Africa India

The Asia Cup 2023 is just around the corner and the Indian cricket team is toiling hard in the practice camp in Alur, Karnataka. In the past few days, batters were divided into pairs as part of a match simulation. Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill were followed by the pair of Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer. In a video going viral on social media, Kohli was batting this time with Ravindra Jadeja as both the players faced spin bowling. It was most probably a part of match situation simulations and both players were looking to play sensible shots.

"Reminds Me Very Much Of Virat Kohli": Ex-Australia Star's Interesting Take On Babar Azam

The comparison between Indian cricket team star Virat Kohli and Pakistan skipper Babar Azam is quite common both among fans and experts. With the traditional rivals facing each other in Asia Cup 2023 in early September, the debates have become quite intense recently. However, former Australia cricketer Tom Moody had a completely different take on the debate and he came up with similarities between the two batters. During a recent interaction, Moody said that Babar actually reminds him a lot of Kohli considering how both players rely on proper cricket shots and have a deep understanding of the game.

"Bolne Se Kuch Nahi Hota": Shadab Khan Responds To Ajit Agarkar's "Virat Kohli Will Handle" Remark

The Asia Cup 2023 might be beginning on August 30, but it's the India vs Pakistan clash on September 02 that has everyone's attention. In fact, when the Indian squad for the Asia Cup was announced, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) chief selector, Ajit Agarkar, was also asked about handling the esteemed pace attack of Pakistan. Agarkar responded saying "Virat Kohli will handle them". Now, Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan has responded to Agarkar's claim, saying it's only what one does on the field that matters and not what is being said before or after the match.

Asia Cup 2023: India's Batting Pairs In Practice Ahead Of Pakistan Game Out. It's Virat Kohli And...

The Indian cricket team is currently gearing up for the upcoming Asia Cup 2023 with a practice camp in Alur, Karnataka and the team management decided to pair up the batters for match simulation. The selectors have gone with a number of specialist batters for the competition and questions still remain over how the batting line-up can look like when India take on Pakistan in their tournament opener on September 2. According to Cricbuzz, skipper Rohit Sharma and Shubman Gill were the first batters to face the bowlers before the pair of Virat Kohli and Shreyas Iyer took the crease. After the duo, KL Rahul and Suryakumar Yadav came to the crease and faced the bowling from their teammates.

"Whether He Would Like...": Virat Kohli At No. 4 In Asia Cup 2023? AB De Villiers' Clear Take

The Asia Cup 2023 is just round the corner and even after the 17-member squad was officially announced, questions remain over who will bat at No. 4 for the Indian cricket team. From Suryakumar Yadav to KL Rahul to Shreyas Iyer, a number of names have been suggested by both fans and experts in the recent past. However, some believe that it can be Virat Kohli who will change his batting position in order to provide solidity to the middle order. Former South Africa star AB De Villiers was in favour of such a move and in a recent interaction, he said that Kohli at No. 4 can be 'perfect' for Team India.

Asia Cup 2023: Virat Kohli Not The Fittest Indian Cricket Team Star! This Young Gun Beats His Fitness Test Score - Report

The Asia Cup bound India team has hit the ground running with the closed-door camp in Alur, where the squad members are undergoing routine fitness tests ahead of the continental event beginning August 31. The various fitness and medical tests are being conducted along with the mandatory Yo-Yo test which young opener Shubman Gill has topped with an impressive score of 18.7. All the cricketers who have so far appeared for the YoYo test have passed the cut-off level of 16.5 with Virat Kohli also putting up an impressive 17.2 as per his Instagram story. Save the five cricketers -- Jasprit Bumrah, Prasidh Krishna, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson (reserve member for Asia Cup) and KL Rahul, all have undergone the test.