Shikhar Dhawan recounts fiery showdown with Virat Kohli, recalls getting angry with him: 'I abused a lot…'

Shikhar Dhawan shared a light-hearted anecdote about his bond with Virat Kohli, recalling how a playful football warm-up turned into a brief clash of tempers.

Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan recalled a moment when he got angry with Virat Kohli while batting together. The two veterans of Indian cricket of Indian cricket have been playing alongside each other since their early days in domestic cricket, building a strong bond that extended beyond the field and into a lasting friendship off it. Yet, despite their close friendship, there were occasions when tensions flared, leading to a few heated moments between them.

Shikhar Dhawan and Virat Kohli shared great camaraderie both on and off the field. (AP)

Dhawan shared a light-hearted anecdote about his bond with Kohli, recalling how a playful football warm-up once turned into a brief clash of tempers where they both shoulder-tackled each other.

“Virat and I fought once. We shoulder-tackled each other once while playing football during a warm-up session. For a second, we got angry," Dhawan said on the Raj Shamani’s podcast, Figuring It Out. “Slowly, we stopped playing football in warm-ups because people would fight. It happens, there are so many athletes, aggressive, each one is big in his own right…" he added.

“Virat ran me out…”

He also recalled another incident where he got angry with the former India captain during the South Africa tour when they both were batting together. Dhawan nudged the ball only a short distance, but Kohli had already set off for a run. The left-hander was forced to respond, and in the bid to complete the single, he ended up being run out.

The left-handed batter admitted that the run-out left him fuming, as his mindset was already unsettled after failing to secure a big bid in the IPL auction. He also admitted to hurling some abuse after returning to the dressing room.

“I was in South Africa, Virat ran me out. At that time, I got very angry… My (IPL) auction, too, hadn’t gone well. I wasn’t able to accept that as well. So, that was there, and then this (run out) happened. I abused a lot… he (Kohli) was in the middle, I was venting out in the dressing room — not at him, but like how batsmen usually would. But we have our understanding because we know it isn’t intentional. This happens in cricket," he added.