AB de Villiers may not play for RCB anymore, but his expectation from his friend and old colleague remains high. He believes that former Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli will score more than 600 runs in the 15th edition of the Indian Premier League.
Kohli, who looked in good touch in the season opener of the Bangalore side against Punjab Kings, formed a vintage RCB pair with AB de Villiers that entertained fans for a long time. However, the former South Africa captain announced his retirement from all forms of cricket, and the franchise tried to fill in his position by picking Faf du Plessis.
While speaking of Kohli’s batting, de Villiers said to VUSport Official, “Everyone knows about Faf du Plessis coming in as captain. The most exciting thing for me is Virat not being captain and releasing a bit of the pressure, really just going out there and freeing up. I am expecting a very big season from Virat. I am thinking 600+ runs from him this year.”
He also opined, “He (Kohli) will be in Faf’s ear, but Faf is also very experienced. He has got a good cricketing training on him, and he would allow Virat and some of the youngsters to go and free up and enjoy the IPL.”
Meanwhile, despite a brilliant showcase with the bat, Royal Challengers Bangalore lost to Punjab Kings in the season opener. They will be playing their second game of the season against Kolkata Knight Riders, who are coming off a win against defending champions Chennai Super Kings.