Virat Kohli the star is for outsiders; for us, he is Cheeku: Ishant Sharma

Team India pacer Ishant Sharma said that stalwart Virat Kohli will always be `Cheeku` to those who grew up with him.

“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,” said Ishant Sharma in the Star Sports Press Room.

Kohli and Sharma have been part of each other`s journey from their under-17 days to the senior Indian team. Further, speaking about the 36-year-old, the pacer said that Kohli, the star, is for the outsiders.

“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,” said the veteran, who has played 105 Test matches.

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Sharma recollected the memories from their under-19 days when they used to save travel allowances and share rooms.

“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,” he said.

The former cricketer said their interactions rarely involve cricket, but are all about humour and banter.

“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,” he said.

Sharma also shared an incident when Kohli kicked him on his national call-up day by asking, “Will you really play for India?”

“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,” concluded Sharma.

(With PTI Inputs)

This article first appeared on Mid Day