Virat Kohli, the former captain of the Indian team, is known for his aggressive style on the field, but he shows a different side in the Indian team dressing room. Former Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin shared a funny story involving Kohli and fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah.
R. Ashwin stated on his YouTube channel that during training sessions, Virat Kohli closely observed the small actions of his teammates and then imitated them to lighten the mood. He noted: 'If I was standing behind the nets with Virat during practice, he would say, 'Look how Bumrah moves his arms' or how he walks. Virat mimics a lot. If he sees someone doing something, he starts imitating it. He does it for a joke and trolls a lot. I really like this side of Virat.'
Ravichandran Ashwin also mentioned that the way he interacts with Virat Kohli has changed over time. Despite spending a long time together in the Indian squad, cricket is no longer the main topic of conversation when they talk on the phone. According to Ashwin, they both enjoy having casual conversations and gossiping about each other. He emphasized that all of this remains friendly humor and is not intended to humiliate anyone.
Ashwin added: 'Now, when we talk on the phone, it's not to teach or explain anything. We are just spending time. Neither of us likes talking about cricket to each other. We gossip and have fun, but we don't speak about anyone in an insulting way.'
Their friendship strengthened during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to R. Ashwin, the players had to stay together for a long time in a bio-bubble. This period gave them more time to get to know and understand each other outside of the field. Ashwin stated: 'We spent a lot of time together in the bubble during Covid. Our relationship improved then. After Covid, I also underwent big changes as a person, and my relationship with Virat became better. We spent a lot of time together and discussed a lot.'
Kohli and R. Ashwin have achieved outstanding success in Indian cricket. Kohli ranks second among batsmen who have scored the most runs for India, having accumulated 28,498 runs in 563 matches, including 86 centuries and 148 half-centuries. His best score is an unbeaten 254 runs. Sachin Tendulkar is the top batsman in India with 34,357 runs. Rahul Dravid and Rohit Sharma rank third and fourth, respectively, with 24,064 and 20,459 runs.
On the other hand, R. Ashwin is among India's most successful bowlers. He has taken 765 wickets in 287 matches and ranks second among Indian bowlers after Anil Kumble (953 wickets). Ashwin achieved a feat by taking five or more wickets in a match 37 times.