Indian cricket superstar and Royal Challengers Bengaluru attacker Virat Kohli shared an unprecedented story featuring Isanto Sharma from his debut IPL match with the Kolkata Knight Rider at the famous Eden Garden in Kolkata in 2008.
Virat Kohli, one of the few cricketers who were part of all IPL seasons, recalls the electrical atmosphere, the new league fuss, and the fact that his Delhi teammate Ishant Sharma sledged him in his first match against KKR.
At the time, Kohli was only 18 years old and returned from winning the Under-19 World Cup. With great expectations and dreams, he came out to hit for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru and tried to help his franchise chase 223 big targets against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Virat Kohli recalls being sledged by Ishant Sharma in his IPL debut match
The stadium was noisy, packed and full of energy. That moment was overwhelming. However, it was Ishant who made his life hell at Eden Gardens in his debut match. The duo played together for Delhi, and Virat faced a lot of ranky pacers with the Nets. But that night, Ishant felt like a completely different bowler thanks to the pressure and atmosphere of Eden Gardens.
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Virat Kohli said at Jiohotstar’s ’18 Calling 18′ 18′ show:
That’s what the environment means. If I had faced him with the net I wouldn’t have been threatened, but that day I felt like I couldn’t hit his delivery, and it was due to the atmosphere and pressure. ”
When Ishant Sharma’s attitude surprised Virat Kohli
During his first IPL match, the young Kohli faced a tough challenge against Indian paykers. The Indian Pacer has just returned from a successful tour in Australia and gained fame by rejecting Ricky Ponting. Ishant was confident and with his fiery attitude and energy he kept the whole Kohli slow.
Kohli, who was still used to such high pressure situations, found it difficult to calm down. In that match, RCB suffered a fierce defeat and lost the match to KKR by 140 runs.
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Ishant Sharma was packed with a lot, I said, “Symma Aa Mein Tereko Batata Hu.”: Virat Kohli
Despite the tough game, the joke between the two friends was just the beginning of their journey, and remained full of fun as they later shared an Indian dressing room and played a key role in the success of the national team in the international arena.
Kohli said, “We were staying in another hotel so there was no conversation about the game. But he was so much like that. So seriously, he had just returned from Australia and had that new hairstyle, so he had that star attitude. But all the fun and games.”