When you have players of the stature of Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli playing together, rumor mills are bound to work overtime to generate pulp fiction about their playing relationship. Over the past few years, stories about Sharma and Kohli not getting along and sharing competitive enmity have done the rounds on social media. A lot of hue and cry has been made about Sharma being a better white-ball captain on account of his remarkable IPL captaincy.
Chatter was also generated at one point when the spouses of the two allegedly unfollowed each other on social media. Therefore, for an average viewer, it has felt as if the two do not share a cordial relation.
However, looking at their recent on-field camaraderie, all these speculations can be put to rest. During the 2021 England series, both Sharma and Kohli enjoyed batting with each other and opened the innings for India in the T20 leg. Kohli also spoke highly about Sharma during the post-match ceremonies. Sharma was seen around Kohli during crucial phases of the games for consultation and fielding suggestions. These developments should put to rest the continuous rumor-mongering about the two modern-day greats of Indian cricket.
A few years back, Kohli had given the fans an insight into their relationship. In an interview with Gaurav Kapoor, when asked what he felt about Sharma, Kohli was prompt to declare that Sharma was incredibly humorous. He went onto describe Sharma’s sense of humor as effortless but one which many people do not seem to understand.
Kohli gave an example about the way Sharma usually converses with the team members and his style of talking which makes him unknowingly funny. Sharma has lived and trained in Mumbai ever since he was a child and therefore, has a tendency to talk in the typical Mumbai fashion. Giving an example, Kohli said that if Sharma needed to explain something,
He would just say “Arey waha hai na bohot yeh hai.” He would not describe or particularize any detail about the situation and it would be for the listener to comprehend what he wanted to say. This would result in hilarious moments because team members would wait for Sharma to provide context to his statements.
Here’s the video:
Kohli further went on heap praise on Sharma’s batting. Kohli, as a youngster heard about Sharma during the 2007 T20 World Cup. He was unable to understand all the hype around Sharma. He thought, he too was a young player, and what could be so different about Sharma that everyone spoke so highly of him. After watching Sharma bat, Kohli admitted that he was blown away by his talent and realized how much work was needed to raise his own game to match Sharma.
Overall, it is evident that the two players have been untouched by all the hype and conversations around them. They have continued to be sporting giants in their own right and come together to play for the country without letting their egos dictate terms. Their mutual respect for each other’s game is on display whenever they talk about each other.
