Image: Kohli recalls Ishant Sharma's sledging in IPL 2008 debut match / © MyKhel
When the Indian Premier League kicked off in 2008, Virat Kohli played his first match for Royal Challengers Bengaluru against Kolkata Knight Riders. In a nostalgic moment shared recently, Kohli recalled being sledged by close friend and pacer Ishant Sharma during that game. Ishant, fresh from a successful tour of Australia and flaunting a new hairstyle, tried to rattle Kohli with aggressive sledging. Kohli, despite his nerves, gave it back with a playful retort: “Side mein aa tereko batata hu”.
KKR had posted a massive 222/3, thanks to Brendon McCullum’s record-breaking 158*. RCB were bowled out for just 82, with Kohli dismissed for 1 off 5 balls by Ashok Dinda. Ishant, meanwhile, removed Rahul Dravid early and bowled to Kohli briefly.
Kohli described the experience as his first real taste of high-pressure cricket, playing in front of a packed M Chinnaswamy crowd. He admitted that while he had faced Ishant many times before, the crowd and atmosphere made it feel like a different challenge altogether. Kohli’s RCB currently sits third on the IPL 2025 table with 6 points, tied with Ishant’s Gujarat Titans, who edge ahead on net run rate.