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Former India spinner R Ashwin has revealed an entertaining side of his relationship with Virat Kohli, recalling how the former India captain would imitate teammates during training sessions. Ashwin said Kohli's impersonations were often aimed at making the dressing room environment more relaxed.
R Ashwin also recalled how Kohli would imitate Jasprit Bumrah's mannerisms during net sessions. The former spinner opened up about their friendship and conversations on his YouTube channel, explaining that their chats away from cricket are often filled with gossip and jokes.
Virat Kohli impersonates a lot and if he sees you doing something, he'll try to imitate that - R Ashwin
R Ashwin revealed that Kohli enjoys observing the small details in the way his teammates move and then reproducing them for fun. He recalled an instance involving Bumrah when the two were standing behind the nets during a training session.
"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," said Ashwin on his YouTube channel.
Ashwin also explained that his conversations with Kohli have changed over the years. Despite spending much of their careers together in the India setup, the two do not usually discuss cricket when they speak over the phone.
"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."
We spent a lot of time in the bubble during Covid-19 - R Ashwin
Ashwin said his relationship with Kohli became stronger during the Covid-19 period, when India's players spent extended periods together inside bio-secure bubbles.
The spinner believes that period gave the two players more time to interact away from the demands of international cricket and helped him grow personally as well.
"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," said R Ashwin.
Virat Kohli and R Ashwin - 2 GOATs of Indian cricket
Virat Kohli and R Ashwin have registered significant records in India's international cricket history. Kohli is currently second among India's leading run-scorers across Tests, ODIs and T20Is, while Ashwin is second among India's leading wicket-takers across the three formats.
Kohli has scored 28,498 runs in 563 international matches, with 86 centuries and 148 fifties. He has also accumulated 2,795 fours and 334 sixes during his career, with a highest score of 254*.
Sachin Tendulkar remains India's leading run-scorer with 34,357 runs, while Rahul Dravid is third with 24,064. Rohit Sharma follows in fourth place with 20,459 runs across 515 matches.
Ashwin, meanwhile, has taken 765 wickets in 287 international matches, putting him second behind Anil Kumble's 953 wickets. The off-spinner has claimed 37 five-wicket hauls and eight 10-wicket match hauls, underlining his impact across formats. Harbhajan Singh is third on India's wicket-takers list with 707 wickets.
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