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Shikhar Dhawan Reveals He Fought With Virat Kohli - Here's Why
Follow UsThe two had a heated exchange during a football warm-up session
Shikhar Dhawan has opened up about a rare moment of anger involving his close friend and former India teammate Virat Kohli. The two, who have shared the field for Delhi and India across formats, had a heated exchange during a football warm-up session.
“Virat and I fought once. We shoulder-tackled each other once while playing football during a warm-up session. For a second, we got angry. Slowly, we stopped playing football in warm-ups because people would fight. It happens, there are so many athletes, aggressive, each one is big in his own right,” Dhawan said on Raj Shamani’s podcast, as reported by Hindustan Times.
Dhawan also recalled another instance when he lost his cool after being run out by Kohli during a tour of South Africa. He admitted the outburst was triggered by frustration over a disappointing IPL auction.
“I was in South Africa, Virat ran me out. At that time, I got very angry… My (IPL) auction, too, hadn’t gone well. I wasn’t able to accept that as well. So, that was there, and then this (run out) happened,” said Dhawan.
“I abused a lot… he (Kohli) was in the middle, I was venting out in the dressing room - not at him, but like how batsmen usually would. But we have our understanding because we know it isn’t intentional. This happens in cricket.”
Dhawan retired from all forms of cricket in 2024 after a celebrated international career. He scored 24 centuries in 269 appearances for India and built a formidable record in ICC tournaments, averaging 65.15.
Kohli, meanwhile, has stepped away from T20Is and Test cricket but remains committed to playing the 2027 ODI World Cup. His immediate focus will be India’s three-match ODI series against Australia in October.