‘Arrogant and cocky’: AB de Villiers admits first impression of Virat Kohli was overly confident

De Villiers looks back at early perception of Kohli

Virat Kohli’s close friendship with AB de Villiers is one of the most enduring bonds in cricket, strengthened over the years by their time together at Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the Indian Premier League. However, their relationship did not begin with the admiration that defines it today.

Speaking on a podcast with Prakhar Gupta, De Villiers looked back at his initial perception of Kohli and explained why the young Indian had come across that way when they first met.

‘Yeah, and I think he’ll agree with that’

Asked whether he had genuinely considered Kohli “arrogant and cocky”, De Villiers did not deny it.

“Yeah, and I think he’ll agree with that,” he said.

The South African great clarified that what he had initially interpreted as arrogance was largely Kohli’s extraordinary self-belief.

“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.

Tongue-in-cheek and formative confidence

De Villiers added that his description of Kohli was partly tongue-in-cheek, while acknowledging that the former India captain possessed immense confidence during his formative years in international cricket.

“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.

Maturation and balance

De Villiers also reflected on how Kohli’s outlook changed as he matured, suggesting that the confidence which had once appeared excessive gradually gave way to a more balanced personality.

The former South Africa captain felt Kohli’s early years were shaped by a strong desire to prove himself, but that instinct softened as he established himself among the leading players in world cricket.

“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.