Always knew Virat Kohli was destined for greatness, says his old IPL teammate Kevin Pietersen

India captain Virat Kohli is going through a lean phase with the bat. Off the ground too, he is facing criticism for his captaincy that witnessed two back-to-back sweeping series losses in New Zealand. But in this tough time, the 31-year-old ace batsman found an ally in former England captain Kevin Pietersen, who had also briefly served as the captain of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

According to the 39-year-old Pietersen, he knew during the early stints of the IPL that Kohli was “destined for greatness”. The two had played together for the RCB in the early years of the tournament before Pietersen went on to play for other franchises. Kohli, who made his international debut in 2008, has gone on to become one of the best batsmen of modern-day cricket with over 21,000 runs and 70 hundreds.

“Sitting on the bus with Virat and batting with Virat, I knew he was destined for greatness because of how he approached the game and the way he learnt and the questions he asked,’ Pietersen told Betway.

‘He was a chubby little fella’ – recalls KP

“He was a chubby little fella back then and I still take the mickey out of him for it. But his determination to be the best player he could possibly be was evident. I remember I was winning a game for us against Rajasthan Royals and he ran me out. I gave him an absolute serve walking off the field.

“But you could see this was a youngster who was determined to get his team over the line,” the South African-born, who played for England for a decade between 2004 and 2014, said. Kevin Pietersen also patted on his own back for having guided Kohli at the beginning of his career when they played together for the RCB.

“He wasn’t just going to give his wicket away and it didn’t matter how many Tests I’d played or how much more senior I was. We do have an incredible friendship, probably because of the way I treated him when he was a youngster and how I helped and guided him at the start of his career,” the 39-year-old added.

Pietersen played in the IPL in five seasons between 2009 and 2016 and scored 1,001 runs in 36 games at a strike-rate of more than 134 and one hundred. He also took seven wickets in the tournament. He was picked as the captain of the franchise in the 2009 edition played in South Africa but was replaced with Anil Kumble as he left for national duties after leading the team to only two wins in seven outings. Meanwhile, Kohli is set to lead the RCB for the eighth season this year though he has led them to only one final which they lost.