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“Tereko Batata Hu Mai” Kohli Reminisces When Ishant Sharma Trolled Him During IPL 2008

Poulomi Chakraborty

Virat Kohli And Ishant Sharma's Funny Moment On The Field (Source: @ImTanujSingh/x.com)Virat Kohli And Ishant Sharma's Funny Moment On The Field (Source: @ImTanujSingh/x.com)

Over the years of playing the game of cricket, not only have tons of memories been made, but it has also created some of the unbreakable bonds. The bond between Virat Kohli and Ishant Sharma is similar. From representing Delhi as domestic players to representing the country, the duo has come a long way.

As the duo dominated global cricket, the Indian Premier League always divided them into different teams. But the friendship never faded away as it became stronger with time. In a recent chat, Kohli reminisced about a hilarious moment when Ishant sledged him during an IPL match.

How Ishant Sharma Playfully Sledged Virat Kohli?

As IPL entered the cricket arena, fans enjoyed some unreal T20I thrills. Since the inaugural season of the tournament, a rivalry has formed between the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and the Kolkata Knight Riders. Among the drama, a hilarious moment involving Virat Kohli and Ishant Sharma stands out. Recalling the incident, Kohli shared a funny memory of when Ishant, playing for KKR, sledged him during an intense clash.

“He (Ishant) was sledging me, like, seriously. He had just come from Australia, got a new hair color, he was a bit of a ‘star’. I said, Side mein aa tereko batata hu mai (Come to the side and I’ll tell you). But it was all fun and games.” Kohli said.


“There was a lot of pressure in this game, I felt, because I had never played in front of a packed stadium before…. I was really, really nervous. I still remember I was marking my guard and looking at the ground, that there are so many people there,” Kohli added.

The Match That Made Kohli Feel The True Pressure Of The Game

This was the inaugural clash of the Indian Premier League, which left the fans stunned with its unreal thrills. While talking about this match, the first thing that comes to mind is KKR’s dominating arrival with McCullum’s unbeaten 158-run innings. But for Virat Kohli, it was more than just a thrilling encounter. As a debutant, the match opened his eyes to the true pressure of the game. In the recent interaction, Kohli revealed the secret.

“I had never played in a crowd like that or in an environment like that. But the most interesting part for me, which I have never spoken about, is that Ishant and I played all our cricket together. I had played him a lot, but in that match when he was bowling to me, I felt like this is a different level of bowler bowling to me.” Kohli said.


“That was the pressure. Now you understand what the environment can do, I mean if I play him in the nets I won’t be intimidated. But there I felt like I won’t be able to hit against Ishant because of the environment, the pressure, that one wicket was down. That’s when I understood what pressure was and what the capacity of the environment was,” Kohli added.

In the inaugural year of the IPL, Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s campaign was forgettable as they ended the season at the 7th spot of the points table with just 8 points. However, over the years, the franchise has turned things around, winning the hearts of fans and emerging as one of the most formidable teams in the tournament.