De Villiers all praise for Kohli’s captaincy

Despite boasting the likes of Kohli and de Villiers, Royal Challengers Bangalore is currently in sixth spot on the ladder, with two wins from five outings, though victory on Wednesday night over high-flying Chennai Super Kings could see it climb the ladder.

Despite Bangalore's indifferent start to the tournament, Kohli has been in excellent touch, hammering 231 runs at 57 to be the third-highest run-scorer. "The true judge of a good captain is when you don't perform well and still do a good job while leading a side," de Villiers said. "(Kohli) has come through with flying colours when it comes to that. He has been a fantastic captain for us."

The team's superstar duo has been Bangalore's top performers though de Villiers refuted suggestions they felt under extra pressure. "It is normal to feel pressure because we are international players," he said. "However, I don't feel extra pressure, I don't think Virat feels it either. We have a team of match-winners and it is up to us to share the load."

He revealed how some off-season work with South Africa rookie Heinrich Klaasen has reminded him of some crucial key elements to his batting. Against Delhi on Saturday night, de Villiers made a match-winning 90 not out from just 39 balls to lift RCB to a crucial victory, while the Proteas veteran also top-scored with 57 in the franchise's only other win to date.

The 33-year-old spent some valuable practice time with compatriot Klaasen, who debuted for South Africa in the shorter formats in February and was picked up by Rajasthan Royals for this year's tournament. "I worked with Klaasen in the off-season and took some tips from him," he told a website. I watched him score hundreds and saw how still he was at the crease. I've tried to use that tip with my batting. Even after playing international cricket for 14 years, you sometimes forget the basics. My game is based on 5-10 very basic principles of the game. Sometimes, when you're not scoring, you have to try and remember the basics again."