Former Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) star AB de Villiers opened up about his long-time RCB teammate Virat Kohli and shared an interesting anecdote about his first impression of Kohli when he first met him in the initial days of playing for RCB. "Oh my goodness, I've heard this question before. Yeah, I'm gonna give it an honest answer again. I thought he (Virat) was quite cocky and arrogant when I met him first. A hairstyle going, absolutely flamboyant. But the minutes I got to know him better and watched him play,I had a lot of respect for him, " ABD told Chris Gayle during a video interaction after the team's jersey launch event on Sunday in Bangalore. ABD also elaborated that he got to know Kohli better as a human later, "And I think he had a barrier around him when I met him the first time and he opened up and I got to know that person. So lots of respect after that first meeting, other than not liking it. I thought he has to come down a bit to earth.(laughs)." AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle chat about their time at RCB, bond with Virat, fitting into the RCB brand seamlessly and their most memorable moment with the team, in Part 1 of Bold Diaries. Stay tuned for a fun rapid fire between the two in Part 2.#PlayBold #ನಮ್ಮRCB pic.twitter.com/WkQO4f9uz1 — Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) March 28, 2023 Gayle also recalled and relished his memories of playing at the Chinnaswamy stadium for RCB. He said, "It played a big part to be honest with you. Not only played a big part, I think, but it's also one of the best venues I've actually played at. The fans, the roar, the chants and it's fantastic and I get goosebumps when I'm playing there." RCB unveiled the team’s new jersey for the IPL 2023 in presence of 20000 plus fans on Sunday at their home ground M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The event, where the new jersey was unboxed, was named ‘RCB Unbox’ and it saw fans thronging the venue. Gayle and ABD were inducted into the RCB Hall of Fame and were presented with mementoes during the ceremony. Gayle and de Villiers’s jerseys with numbers 333 and 17, respectively, were retired as a mark of respect by RCB on Sunday. Singers Sonu Nigam and Jason Derulo performed later during the event. Gayle, who played 84 games for the team with a staggering 3,163 runs at an average of just under 44 and a strike rate of 152.7, said, “First of all, a big thanks to RCB for inducting me into the Hall Of Fame. I have so many fun memories of playing at the Chinnaswamy Stadium for the RCB. It feels like a homecoming for me and it was a delight for me to reconnect with the team, the players and above all the fans. The RCB, RCB chant will always stay with me.” While AB de Villiers, who featured in 144 games for RCB with close to 5,000 runs and a strike rate of 158.6, also recalled his RCB memories and said, “It is a massively touching gesture by RCB to induct me into the Hall Of Fame and it has a very special place in my heart. I have missed the atmosphere at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, and it was enthralling for me to relieve all those experiences once more during the RCB Unbox.”
