'You do not become a bad player overnight': AB de Villiers on Virat Kohli's rough patch for RCB in IPL 2022

Virat Kohli bounced back to form with a gritty half-century in Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)'s last game against Gujarat Titans (GT) in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. However, Kohli's scoring rate was still a concern as he notched up 58 runs off 53 balls at 109.43 with RCB losing the game by six wickets.

The expectations were high from Kohli heading into the season and the RCB superstar was expected to go all guns blazing for his side. However, it has been a below-par campaign for the batting maestro, who has struggled for consistency and has failed to get off to good starts with the willow.

Former RCB star and Kohli's good friend AB de Villiers recently gave his take on the run machine's struggles in IPL 2022. De Villiers believes a batter is only two poor knocks away from bad form and it's all about mindset when someone is looking to bounce back.

"As a batsman, you are only one or two bad knocks away from bad form. If it keeps coming at you it is difficult to bounce back from it," De Villiers told AFP.

The South African legend also pointed out how a batter cannot become bad overnight and that there will be no better person than Kohli himself to analyse his weaknesses and work on them to get better.

"You do not become a bad player overnight. Virat would know it and I know it. I think it's the way you think and set your mind. You need a clear mind and fresh energy whenever you play and then you can find a way out of a hole," De Villiers added.

After getting back among the runs with a fifty against Gujarat Titans, Kohli will be hopeful of nothing up another big knock when RCB lock horns with MS Dhoni-led Chennai Super Kings at the MCA Stadium in Pune on Wednesday (May 04).