‘I saw it first-hand playing with him’: Adam Zampa reveals the two sides of Virat Kohli

Those who know or follow Virat Kohli are aware how competitive the captain of the Indian cricket is. His aggression is talked about in the world and that’s a trait that rubs off on his teammates.

Australia leg-spinner Adam Zampa, who has mostly played against Kohli, got an opportunity to side with him during the IPL 2020 as the leg-spinner played for RCB under Kohli. During his time at RCB, Zampa revealed the two sides of Kohli, saying the captain can be a ‘beast’ and ‘chilled out’ at the same time.

“He’s a totally different person off the field. You see his aggression and how competitive he is on the field, he’s actually one of the most chilled out guys off the field,” Zampa said on The Unplayable Podcast.

“Obviously you always play against him, you get to know what he’s like on the field and then being able to spend time away from the cricket field with guys like that, you see how human they actually are.”

Zampa, who has the third-best bowling figures in the IPL, had limited opportunities with RCB this season, playing three matches and picking up two wickets as his side reached the playoffs before losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator. Zampa, who’s dismissed Kohli seven times during his duels, witnessed first-hand what the India captain is like on and off the field.

“He’s the kind of guy (that) as soon as he walks across that line, he’s a competitive beast,” the leg-spinner said. “I saw it first-hand playing with him, there’s two different versions of him and that’s the weight of expectation he has on himself to perform for India. But when he’s off the field he’s a lovely guy and very chilled out.

“He’s actually one of those guys... he’s a very easy laugh – you can say the worst joke in the world and he’ll laugh his head off. He’d had enough of me by the end of it trying to make him laugh until his cheeks were sore.”