IPL 2021: AB de Villiers discloses his four-point advice for Virat Kohli during IND vs ENG series

AB de Villiers opened up on his relationship with Virat Kohli, sharing the advice he gave the Indian skipper during the India vs England series. The South African lifted the lid on his chat with Virat Kohli, revealing how he counselled the Indian captain to focus on the basics.

After scoring a scintillating 73* in the second T20I against England in March, Virat Kohli revealed how a special chat with AB de Villiers helped his game. The Indian skipper had then shared how AB de Villiers advised him to watch the ball.

AB de Villiers was asked to share more from the conversation with Virat Kohli, and the South African disclosed the message while being interviewed by Danish Sait on 'Bold Diaries' on RCB's YouTube channel.

“Four points. See the ball. Still head. Allow the ball to come into your space. Body language and attitude, and we sort of elaborated around those four points,” disclosed de Villiers.

King Virat Kohli and Mr.360 Ab De Villiers picture in yesterday's Practice sessions. pic.twitter.com/T2Cw0VeEfI

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Talking about the rationale behind his advice, AB de Villiers explained how one forgets to do the basics rights when going through a lean patch.

“Those are the kind of little things you forget. It seems so simple, but when you’re struggling to find your rhythm your momentum you really don’t think like ‘keep my head still, let the ball into my space,’ You almost want to go and fetch it, You want to score the runs quickly, expounded de Villiers.

Why AB de Villiers was not surprised to hear from Kohli

Bold Diaries: AB de Villiers interview Part 2AB de Villiers talks about the message he sent to Virat Kohli during the India England series, the youngsters who have impressed him at RCB, and much more on @myntra presents Bold Diaries.#PlayBold #WeAreChallengers #IPL2021 pic.twitter.com/m9XMGpefqg

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) April 16, 2021

Virat Kohli spoke after the second T20I about how he felt burdened by multiple variables on the outside. Although Kohli scored runs during the India vs England series, his first international ton since November 2019 still eluded him.

Talking about the RCB skipper, AB de Villiers admitted he wasn’t surprised when Virat Kohli contacted him for advice.

“We spoke about a couple of things away from the game and then also a couple of technical things. But it was very basic. I have been wanting to tell him for quite a while. Because I was watching him for a few months, and he was sort of looking like he was quite tense at the crease with his whole game. So I really wasn’t surprised when I saw the message and I knew immediately, all he needs to hear is the basic stuff,” said de Villiers.

Ending the conversation on a lighter note, AB de Villiers shared how getting the basics right isn’t the only prerequisite to scoring runs. The 37-year-old stressed the importance of acting confident while batting in the middle.

“Also, you got to act a bit. You got to walk out there like ‘Chest out, ready to punch the guys here.’ It should all be a bit of an act, and before you know it you are in the mix of things and enjoying your innings,” concluded de Villiers.

AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli will next be seen in action on April 18, when the Royal Challengers Bangalore take on the Kolkata Knight Riders in Chennai.