Former South African batter AB De Villiers, who represented Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL), had a heartwarming message for his former RCB teammate and former captain Virat Kohli on his 34th birthday. “I hope you are well. I hope you have a fantastic day. You are a great cricketer, but even a much better human being. Thank you so much for your friendship and thank you for being a great teammate and a great man in all the best to you and all your team for the T20 World Cup. Have fun, hope you find South Africa in the final. It will be very entertaining. Congratulations Viri, have a great day and thinking of you,” said de Villiers in a video posted by RCB.
Virat Kohli and De Villiers have been playing together for RCB for years. They have played some great innings for their side throughout their IPL career and have often been involved in some entertaining partnerships.
One of their finest moments in IPL as a duo was in May 2016, when they both beat bowlers from the now-defunct Gujarat Lions all over the park to form a 229-run partnership for the second wicket. Virat finished with a score of 109 on 55 balls and de Villiers scored 129* on 52 balls. They helped their side at 248/3 in 20 overs, a total they could defend. RCB won the match by 144 runs.
De Villiers is also an RCB Hall of Famer. He represented the side from 2011-2021 in 157 matches. He scored 4,522 runs at an average of 41.10. He scored two centuries and 37 fifties for the side with a pass rate of over 158.
Notably, de Villiers was recently in Bengaluru. His appearance sparked speculation about his return to RCB in one capacity or another.
“I’m here to chat with RCB guys for next year’s IPL,” de Villiers had said in a video posted by the franchise.
Best @imVkohli,
Here is a very special wish from a very special friend. #PlayBold #HappyBirthdayViratKohli @abdevilliers17 pic.twitter.com/UT7wEdnde2
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) Nov 5, 2022
He came to Virat and represented India in 102 tests, scoring 8,074 runs at an average of 49.53 in 173 innings. He scored 27 centuries and 28 fifties in the format.
He also played 262 ODIs for India, scoring 12,344 runs at an average of 57.68. 43 tons and 64 fifties have come out of his bat in this size.
Finally, he also scored 3,932 for India in 113 T20Is with an average of 53.13. A century in 36 fifties has been scored by Virat in the shortest format.
promoted
He is also part of Team India, which won the Cricket World Cup in 2011 and the Champions Trophy in 2013.
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