Virat Kohli, the batting maestro of Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), recollected a rare moment of vulnerability from his early Indian Premier League (IPL) days, admitting he was left utterly bamboozled by Ishant Sharma during the tournament’s inaugural match in 2008.
Speaking on JioHotstar’s ‘18 Calling 18’, Kohli revealed how the lanky pacer, then with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), turned a familiar foe into an unplayable force under the electric Kolkata atmosphere.
The revelation came as Kohli reminisced about his IPL debut at the Eden Gardens, where KKR posted a mammoth 222 runs, powered by Brendon McCullum’s iconic 158* run knock. Chasing the daunting total, a young Kohli walked out at No. 3 for RCB, only to face a fired-up Ishant.
Kohli, fresh off captaining India’s U-19 World Cup triumph, was no stranger to Ishant’s pace. Yet, the 18-year-old found himself rattled by the combination of a packed stadium and Ishant, who was coming off a spectacular Test series in Australia, sledging
"The interesting thing, which I've never spoken about, is that Ishant and I played all our cricket together, so I have faced him a lot. But in that game, I felt he was bowling at a different level, and that was the pressure. That is what environment means. Had I faced him in the nets, I wouldn't have been intimidated, but that day, I felt like I couldn't hit any of his deliveries, and that was because of the atmosphere and the pressure," Kohli said as quoted.
"We were staying in different hotels, so there was no conversation about the game. But yes, he was sledging a lot. I mean, seriously...he just came back from Australia, had that new hairstyle, so he had that star attitude. I said, ' side mein aa mein tereko batata hu'. But all fun and games," he added.
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Kohli managed just one run off five balls before Ashok Dinda dismissed him. RCB crumbled to 82 all-out, losing by 140 runs.
Fast forward to 2025, and Kohli’s IPL journey tells a different tale. With 8,168 runs in 256 matches, he is the tournament’s top scorer. Meanwhile, Ishant is now with Gujarat Titans (GT).
RCB, under captain Rajat Patidar, have roared into the season with three wins in four games, including historic away victories against Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Mumbai Indians (MI) and Kolkata Knight Riders. They will next lock horns with Delhi Capitals (DC) on April 10 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
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