AB de Villiers turns 36: South African legend's unbreakable bond with Virat Kohli

The Indian Premier League has allowed cricket to grow in a way that has never been seen before. Cricketers from all countries came together and some of them formed friendships which transitioned into brotherly bonds that look unshakeable. Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers' brotherhood is one such gift that the IPL has given many cricket fans and on the occasion of De Villiers' 36th birthday on Monday, we take a look at the two and their performances in the IPL.

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AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli's iconic duo

It is not hard to find an interview of Virat Kohli or AB de Villiers where they are not lauding each other's efforts, on or off the field. Kohli, who is widely regarded as the best batsman in the world, has gone out and given De Villiers that very title on multiple occasions. De Villiers has had similar comments for Kohli.

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It is not only the Indian skipper who the South African is close to but even Kohli's wife, Anushka Sharma is close to De Villiers' wife and his kids. Back when AB de Villiers and Cricket South Africa were running into a controversy during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, Kohli had commented on De Villiers' post and confirmed to him that Kohli and Sharma were right there by him and his family's side.

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On the field, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers have been exceptional for the Royal Challengers Bangalore where both of them have delivered some stunning performances. Kohli and De Villiers held the record for the highest IPL partnership as they put on 229 for the second wicket in a 2016 IPL match against the Gujarat Lions. It was not something new for the dynamic duo who was only breaking a record they had broken a year ago when they made 215 together at Mumbai.

Kohli and De Villiers are often seen running out to each other when one of them hits the winning runs for RCB and the awe on their faces seeing each other bat is hard to miss. The pair will be hoping to put forward some stunning performances and finally get RCB its long-awaited IPL trophy in the 2020 edition of the tournament, 9 years after they first played together for the franchise.

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