'Come down to earth': ABD and Chris Gayle recall first meeting with 'arrogant' Virat Kohli

Former South Africa captain AB de Villiers revealed details about his first meeting with Virat Kohli, during a conversation with Chris Gayle in a recent Youtube video shared by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). The video was shared by the teams a day after de Villiers and Gayle were included in the RCB Hall of Fame, as the franchise also retired their jersey numbers. Meanwhile, in conversation with Gayle, the RCB legend mentioned that he found Kohli to be ‘cocky and arrogant’ when he first met him.

Kohli and de Villiers formed one of the most attractive batting pairs during their time playing for RCB, while the RCB top-order was the most feared with Gayle in the mix. “Oh my goodness...I have had this question before and I had given this answer before as well. I think he was quite cocky and arrogant when I met him the first time. With that hairstyle and he had bit of a strut going...," De Villiers said.

“I think Virat Kohli had a barrier around him': ABD and Chris Gayle

Reacting to it, Gayle questioned if he found Kohli to be flamboyant. Explaining his feeling the former Proteas skipper revealed that his thoughts for Kohli changed once he got to know him better and watched him play. “I mean I've got as much respect for him but I got to know him better as a human being. I think he had a barrier around him when I met him the first time and that barrier opened up and I got to know the person. I did not like him but you know what I'm saying. He's a top person now but first impression was ufff...he's got to come down to earth a bit” de Villiers added.

More about Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Chris Gayle’s time in RCB

De Villiers and Kohli played for RCB together until the 2021 season when the former decided to announce his retirement from the tournament. Gayle had parted ways with the team in RCB in 2018 and played three seasons for Punjab Kings, before announcing his retirement in the same year as De Villiers. Meanwhile, Kohli continues to be one of the key players in the squad despite hanging his boots as the skipper in 2021.