For Sport, the bond of friendship knows no bounds. In cricket, after the advent of the Indian Premier League and many other T20 leagues across the globe, players from rival nations have come together and have engaged in strong chemistry. Players are often seen taking part in off-field leisure activities together and enjoying each others’ company.
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Let’s take a look at some of the famous friendships between cricketers that will give you major friendship goals.
Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers
They play for the same side Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL and are rivals when they represent their nation. In spite of the fierce battles which they go through on the international stage, they share a very strong bond on and off the field and have mutual admiration for each other.
Both of them have different batting styles but share a common approach to dominate the opposition’s bowling.
Virat Kohli often shares pictures of him and De Villiers on instagram, praising the nature of the South African. He once said: “Very few people in my life have connected with me like my dear friend AB and I share the most wonderful bond with this great man. So much to learn from him all the time. If you ever want a role model for any walk of life, he is it.”
Kevin Pietersen and Yuvraj Singh
Two of the biggest ambassadors of the game, Yuvraj Singh and Kevin Pietersen didn’t quite get along during their initial years having been involved in the controversial “pie-chucker” comments, but their bond has become stronger as their careers progressed.
Yuvraj once said: “It’s a mixed bag of feelings inside, but it’s all in the middle. Me and KP are good friends off the field.”
Pietersen complimented him by saying, “The man’s a fighter; and he’s one of the most talented cricketers that India has produced. I look forward to renewing my friendship on the field with him in the not-too-distant future. I’m in touch with him regularly.”
MS Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo
Indian players have always got along well with the Caribbean boys. Both MS Dhoni and Dwayne Bravo used to play for the same IPL franchisee Chennai Super Kings before and have finished many games for them.
They frequently keep in touch and are quite vocal about their friendship. In fact, both of them have even hosted each other for dinner at their homes during their cricket tours.
Zaheer Khan and Ashish Nehra
World class left-arm pacers on the field and great buddies off it. Two of India’s best fast bowlers share common interests off the field and are often seen partying together with their friends and family.
Ashish Nehra once said in an interview that the love of food brought him and Zak close to each other. He also said that Zaheer is a very chilled-out guy who anyone can get along with.
Ian Botham and Viv Richards
While discussing friendships in cricket, two legends that immediately come to mind are SIr Ian Botham and Sir Vivian Richards. Their friendship started when they played for Somerset in County cricket, during which they lived together in the same house.
Both of them played a pivotal role in lifting the standards of the game and its’ progress is highly indebted to them.
Sir Vivian Richards, once said: “Now we are getting older, if he goes before me I will drop everything to be at his family’s side to support them.”
