"Let's race tomorrow" - AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli's fun banter ahead of IPL 2021
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) stars Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers revelled in a fun Twitter exchange ahead of the start of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.
The banter began with Virat Kohli's Tweet in which he shared a video of himself running on a treadmill. AB de Villiers replied by revealing he is ready to depart for the mega tournament in India.
Virat Kohli then tried to poke fun at his AB de Villiers by questioning whether the South African star is still as quick between the wickets as he once was. The Protean had an interesting response to the RCB skipper's query and claimed he is ready for a race with Virat Kohli to find out.
Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers: RCB's batting mainstays
Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers have been the pillars of RCB's batting order for quite some time now. The duo have been the team's flag-bearers since 2011, and have set several records during their journey together.
This pair has got 10 century partnerships between them in the IPL. They are also the only duo to share two double-century partnerships in T20 cricket. AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli hold the record for the second-highest partnership in the history of T20 cricket.
In a game against the Gujarat Lions in 2016, the two put up 229 runs together for the second wicket. Both players registered centuries in the game - which happens to be a rare occasion in T20 cricket.
The two superstars will have an important role to play in the upcoming edition of the IPL. Virat Kohli earlier confirmed that he will open the innings for RCB this season. This implies that AB de Villiers will bat at three, followed by Glenn Maxwell at four.
In IPL 2020, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers scored 466 and 454 runs, respectively. They'd like to maintain the same kind of tempo, if not better, this time around. Winning the IPL trophy remains an unfulfilled dream for both these cricketers as they look to lead RCB to their maiden title.