Former Indian off-spinner and commentator Ravichandran Ashwin has strolled down memory lane to recall his friendly relationship with the Indian talismanic batter Virat Kohli during his playing days.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin recalled an instance when he teased Indian pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah about his hand movements and the way he walks. Further, he revealed that he and Kohli often gossip and enjoy teasing others, while making sure they do not cross the line.
“Say myself and Virat are standing behind the nets during training, he would just say, ‘See how Bumrah’s hands go or how he walks’ for fun. Virat impersonates a lot and if he sees you doing something, he’ll try to imitate that. He does that a lot and trolls a lot for fun. I really love that version of Virat,” Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.
“When we talk now over the phone, it’s never anything instructive. We just do timepass. We both don’t like talking about cricket with each other. We only like gossiping. Truth be told, we love talking badly about someone and have fun doing it. But we won’t do it in a derogatory way,” he added.
Further, Ashwin recalled spending a lot of time in the bio-bubble during Covid-19, adding that their relationship got a lot better during that phase. Notably, Ashwin retired from international cricket in December 2024 during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He followed that up by officially announcing his retirement from the Indian Premier League (IPL) in August 2025.
“We spent a lot of time in the bubble during Covid-19. That’s where our relationship got better. I evolved a lot as a person after COVID, and thereby my relationship with Virat became better. We spent a lot of time together and talked a lot,” he concluded.
