'Mark Boucher Had a Crucial Role, I Too Had Good Influence on Him': AB de Villiers on How Virat Kohli Found Right Balance

Legendary South Africa batter AB de Villiers shared details of how Virat Kohli picked things from senior players and head coaches and became a better player which also changed his demeanor. De Villiers and Kohli share a great camaraderie both on and off the field and often call each other very close friends on public platforms. The duo played a lot of cricket together when De Villiers was part of Royal Challengers Bangalore. They batted alongside on several occasions and won the match for RCB.

Meanwhile, with time everyone has witnessed the change in Kohli’s demeanor as his younger version was full of aggression but now he has become a lot calmer.

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De Villiers, who followed Kohli’s career closely, suggested that he picked things from coaches and pointed out that Mark Boucher also played a crucial role when the Indian batter was young. The Proteas legend said that hopefully he also had a good influence on him.

“I think everyone matures with age. As you grow, you learn a lot from experienced players and you realize that they’re not just your opponents but calm and relaxed individuals. Virat is smart and he has picked things from some coaches as well as teammates. Mark Boucher had a crucial role to play at RCB when Virat was young and hopefully, I too had a good influence on him as a friend. He has found that right balance and I can’t wait to see him in the World Cup doing special things for Team India,” De Villiers said on his YouTube channel.

The legendary batter also talked about two young talents of India and South Africa – Tilak Varma and Dewald Brewis. The young duo also share a good camaraderie as they play together for Mumbai Indians in IPL.

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De Villiers heaped the praise on the duo and said they need to pick their brains the right way to make huge careers.

“Tilak and Brevis get along really well and they are two talented players who are going to have huge careers in the future, if they look after their bodies, form and mind. They need to pick their brains the right way. You shouldn’t listen to everything. Just the right things at the right time.”