There are few cricketers in world cricket who can boast a bond with Virat Kohli that extends as far beyond the field as AB de Villiers’ does. Ever since the two first met on the pitch, they have been close friends. Their friendship truly blossomed when they began playing together for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Over the years, De Villiers’ admiration for Kohli as both a cricketer and a person has grown manifold, but that does not change the fact that the former South Africa captain initially found the Indian stalwart “arrogant and cocky” when they first met.
During a podcast with Prakhar Gupta, De Villiers was asked about his perception of Kohli when they first met. When asked if he really found Kohli “arrogant and Cocky”, De Villiers responded saying: “Yeah, and I think he’ll agree with that.”
When asked to explain why that was the case, De Villiers said that the arrogance came from the fact that Kohli exuded a huge level of self-confidence.
“Just a high level of confidence and he’s always played his cricket that way. It gets misinterpreted sometimes. In my case, that’s what happened as well. He came across as overly confident,” he said.
Prakhar : “When you first met Virat Kohli, you thought he was cocky and arrogant. Is that true?” AB de Villiers: “Yes. I think he’ll agree with that.” “He came across as overly confident. He had a lot to prove when he was younger.” “You need that kind of confidence and self-belief to achieve great success.”
— The Prakhar Gupta Xperience (@pgxpodcast) October 16, 2026
“I mean, that was my first impression. It’s always tongue-in-cheek when I say that, but I think he’ll agree with that. He was a very confident youngster at the age of 19, 20, 21. Early days. That’s also what’s necessary to achieve great success. You really need to believe in your own ability and you just learn to manage that over the years,” he added.
The South Africa great further explained that Kohli’s arrogance gradually faded away as he climbed the ladder of success in the sport.
“That faded away as he grew older and as he became more balanced as a person and as a cricket player. I think he had a lot to prove when he was younger, and that faded away. And that also changed that sense of having to be overly confident with people, but that changed,” he said.