'Kohli kicked me and said, you are in the Indian squad' - Ishant Sharma reflects on his fond memories ahead of GT and DC clash

Former Indian pacer Ishant Sharma reflected on his long-standing friendship with Indian cricket veteran Virat Kohli, a bond that dates back to their early days in Delhi cricket. The bowler shared a light-hearted memory and recalled how Kohli informed him about his maiden India call-up in a funny way.

The Gujarat Titans (GT) and the Delhi Capitals (DC) are clashing on each other on May 18 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in Delhi. The right-arm pacer opened up about their Under-19 days together and emphasised how Kohli has always held a special place in his life. He noted that the former Indian skipper is different for him than he is for anyone else.

“When our India debut came, the name of the team came…he kicked me and said, your name has come. He said, will you really play for India? I said, brother, let me sleep,” said Sharma in the Star Sports Press Room.

“I think Virat Kohli (the star) is for outside people. I can’t see him like that because we played in the U-17s. He is a childhood friend to me. When we were in the U-19s, we used to count how much money we had. We used to eat food. When we used to go to the U-19s, we used to save our TAs and take them with us. So, Virat Kohli is different for everyone. He is different for me,” Ishant conceded.

We used to call him Cheeku: Ishant

The 36-year-old pacer acknowledged that Kohli has remained the same person despite reaching incredible heights in his career. He shared that they used to call him Cheeku and added that no matter how successful Kohli becomes at the end of the day, he is still a human being.

“Imagine, your brother has reached such heights. Everyone is thinking that he is great. But you will see that at the end of the day, he is a human being. At the end of the day, you have spent a lot of time with him. You know him in and out. You know where he has come from, how he is and how he is not. I have never felt that he is Virat Kohli. For us, he is Cheeku. We have always seen it like this. He has also seen me like this. We are sleeping together and sharing a room,” he concluded.