Bromance of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers; why was there a rift? What is their friendship status now? Former South African skipper reveals

NEW DELHI: The friendship between Indian cricket's giant Virat Kohli and South African legend AB de Villiers was watched with great curiosity by the cricketing world. The two played together in the IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Now, de Villiers has opened up about the fact that Kohli once had a falling out with him. The cricketer revealed this in an interview with 'Cricket.com'.

De Villiers says Kohli didn't talk to him for months because he broke the news that Anushka was pregnant. In February 2024, de Villiers shared the news that Anushka and Virat were expecting their second child through a YouTube live. He later regretted that he had made a mistake by sharing unconfirmed information about Kohli's family. De Villiers' revelation of what Kohli and Anushka had kept secret led to a rift.

Kohli's absence from the Indian team for several matches last year due to personal reasons was a big topic of discussion. BCCI had also given the star a leave of absence. However, the reason behind the incident is not clear. At one point, there were false reports that Kohli was taking a leave of absence due to his mother's health issues. However, de Villiers had said that Kohli was spending time with his family and appreciated the star for prioritizing his family. After this, de Villiers came out to express his regret.

'I know we were in the same boat because we spoke about it. He's been in touch with me over the last six months. Thank goodness, because I did have a bit of a footfall not so long ago when they were expecting their second child (De Villiers had publicly announced it before Kohli). So I was very relieved when he started talking to me again'. De Villiers told Cricket.com.

Anushka and Virat Kohli got married in 2017. They have two children. The eldest is Vamika. Vamika was born on January 11, 2021. A baby boy named Akaay was born on February 14 last year.