“Never felt he is Virat Kohli; for us, he is Cheeku”—Ishant Sharma on his bond with the India legend

As he reflected on their camaraderie from their early days in Delhi cricket, India spinner Ishant Sharma stated on Saturday that Virat Kohli will always remain "Cheeku" to those who grew up with him. From the Delhi and North Zone under-17 levels to the senior India squad, Ishant played with Kohli.

As Kohli spearheaded a fast-bowling revolution in Indian cricket, Ishant Sharma and Virat Kohli formed the foundation of Kohli's time as captain of India. Ishant Sharma was present when India won its maiden Test series in Australia in 2018-19 and took a 2-1 series lead against England in 2021, both under Virat Kohli.

Ishant Sharma talked about his friendship with Virat Kohli and stated that he might be a mega star for his fans, but he still remembers him from their U19 days.

"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," Ishant said on Star Sports.

The 36-year-old recalled their days in the under-19 setup, where they shared rooms, budgeted meals, and saved travel allowances.

"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.

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 inside and out. You know where he has come from, how he is, and how he is not,” Ishant added.

Before a recent IPL match, the two were spotted cuddling on the pitch, and pictures of the occasion went viral online.

"When we meet, we never talk about cricket"—Ishant Sharma on his equation with Virat Kohli.

According to Ishant, their conversations are mostly focused on humor and banter rather than cricket. He remembered when Kohli told him he was being called up to India for the first time.

"When we meet, we never talk about how we played so many Test matches. We never talk about it. We talk about funny jokes. This is happening, that is happening, look at this, look at that. Funny jokes. 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,” Ishant added.

Both players made their international debuts in the late 2000s, with Sharma breaking into the national team just before Kohli.

"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 Ishant.

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