'Virat said sorry and Zak said you ended my career': Ishant Sharma's explosive revelation, Zaheer Khan clarifies

The episode dates back to early 2014 when Team India were on a tour to New Zealand.

India started the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle on a positive note, defeating West Indies 1-0 in the two-match Test series. While the first Test was wrapped in less than three days, rain played a spoilsport in the second encounter forcing the match to end in a draw. While limited action was seen on the field, fans did get to hear a few unheard stories of the Indian cricket team from the past. Ishant Sharma shared one such anecdote involving his former Delhi teammate Virat Kohli and ex-India pacer Zaheer Khan during commentary on Jio Cinema, the official streaming partner of the series.

Virat Kohli and Zaheer Khan

Zaheer was also a part of the conversation, who then elaborated further and revealed the exact conversation with Kohli.

The episode dates back to early 2014 when Team India were on a tour to New Zealand. Ishant recalled an incident from the second Test, which was also the final match of the tour.

In the Test, Kohli, who is considered to be one of the most agile fielders, offered a lucky reprieve to then-New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum in the second innings and India paid a price for it.

“We were playing in New Zealand. Brendon McCullum had scored 300 runs and when Virat Kohli dropped a catch, I remembered that this happened around lunch. Virat said sorry to Zak and Zak said, ‘No worries, we’ll get him out.’ During tea, Kohli said sorry again and Zak told him not to worry. On the third day when Kohli apologized during tea, Zak told him, ‘You’ve ended my career!’," said Ishant.

Zaheer then joined the conversation and passed on the exact details. “I didn’t say that. I said that there were only two players, the first was Kiran More who dropped Graham Gooch and he scored 300. After that, it’s Virat Kohli who dropped a catch and someone scored 300. Then, he told me not to talk like that, naturally as he wouldn’t have felt good about that. The catch was dropped and the runs were scored,” the former pacer said.

McCullum went on to slam a triple ton after being offered a second chance early in the innings. The ex-Kiwi wicketkeeper-batter went to score 302 before getting caught behind against Zaheer, with the latter also completing a five-wicket haul in the same innings. McCullum's efforts rescued his side from a tricky position and the match ended in a draw.

From India, Ajinkya Rahane scored a ton in the first innings, while Kohli returned unbeaten on 105 in the second.