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Not AB de Villiers! Virat Kohli Names RCB Player Who Had Biggest Impact On Him

Aakash Saini

Virat Kohli during a candid interview [Source: @RCBTweets/x]Virat Kohli during a candid interview [Source: @RCBTweets/x]

Virat Kohli continues to remain the only one-franchise player since the inaugural edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Having made his debut back in 2008 for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), the cricketer has played over 250 games for the franchise over the span of 18 different editions.

Notably, Kohli was aged 19 at the time of his IPL debut, and had been just crowned as the Under-19 World Cup winning captain of the Indian team. Raw talent with limitless potential, the then rising star entered the IPL as a promising youngster eager to make his mark on the biggest T20 stage in the world.

Fortunately for him and for the Indian cricket fans, he met a seasoned senior teammate at RCB who would play a pivotal role in shaping his mindset and mentored him through challenges

Kohli names ex-RCB teammate with biggest impact on him

In a podcast with the RCB on the latter’s social media platforms, Virat Kohli named former South African cricketer and ex-IPL teammate Mark Boucher as a player who had the biggest impact on him. It is worth noting that both Kohli and Boucher were IPL colleagues for the RCB during the first three editions of the tournament.

The legendary Indian batter stated that Boucher even helped him assess his weaknesses. Virat Kohli said:

“Out of all players I played with initially, Boucher had the biggest impact on me. He figured out what my weaknesses could be, If I wanted to go to the next level, this is what I need to do, without me asking him anything. He told me that 'when I came to commentate in India three-four years from now and I do not see you playing for India, you would do a disservice to yourself. So he really stunned me with the conversations he had with me.”

Mark Boucher’s advice apparently worked wonders for Virat Kohli, as he went on to become one of the greatest all-format batters of the modern era.

As of now, he is once again plying his trade for the RCB franchise in the ongoing IPL 2025 season. Kohli and the rest of his RCB colleagues will face CSK on Saturday, May 3 in Bengaluru next up.