Cricket is an odd game, really. It somehow manages to unite people from two very different parts of the world and form the kind of relationship many fail to have with those who live around them all the time.

Something similar happened between the current captain of the Indian cricket team and former South African skipper AB de Villiers, who have been sharing the Royal Challengers Bangalore locker room since 2011.

In an Instagram Live conversation between the two legends of the sport, they went down memory lane to discuss the very first time theyâd met after learning that they were going to be teammates in the fourth edition of the Indian Premier League.

AB de Villiers Reveals Favourite Memory with Virat Kohli pic.twitter.com/2QVQ4Y8fr8

"I remember the first time we met after you were picked up by RCB. It was in Johannesburg and we came down the tunnel. You guys were finishing practice and we were just starting ours. I came and said âhelloâ and said âwe are going to be teammatesâ and you were like 'I am excited for that'. Such a brief chat. Nine years we have been such good friends and such a great journey. Yeah, it's been wonderful," Kohli said.

This is when Mr 360 revealed that he didnât actually trust the youngblood back then. âIt's an interesting story because it is a very human thing to do when you hear about someone for quite a few years and Boucher had told me a lot about you,â de Villiers said.

© Twitter/IPL

âI certainly remember walking up the tunnel and even though I said âhiâ but I didn't trust the guy yet. I have seen the hair and seen the style but it didn't take me long to get to know you better,â he added.

That was back in 2011. Since then, the kind of relationship the two have developed simply by playing alongside each other for a month and a half every year is simply special. 

The 126-run partnership they shared during the 2016 season in which both batsmen scored a ton, is still considered to be one of the best batting displays in the history of the tournament.

Kohliâs heartfelt farewell message to the Protea when he decided to retire from international cricket in 2018 in which he actually called de Villiers his âbrotherâ also adds to how deep their relationship is.

Wish you all the best in everything that you do my brother. Youâve changed the way batting was seen in the time youâve played international cricket. My best wishes to you and your family for this amazing journey ahead @ABdeVilliers17 pic.twitter.com/uxtRAPl3zA

And finally, de Villiers complimenting Kohliâs âgood wifeâ as the reason behind his success on the international forum, shows how personal their bond is.

AB's kids knock Anushka and Virat's door at the hotel every morning to wake them up and wish them good morning.

"The best thing that has happened to me is me getting married", Virat got me gushing over them again.

âStability, balance & good wivesâ https://t.co/T03I8FnjT6

The conversation came a full circle when the two described their relationship in the best ways they could. While AB de Villiers called it âtimelessâ it was Virat Kohli who said that it was âbased on trust.â

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