“I abused a lot”- Shikhar Dhawan opens up about his fight with Virat Kohli in Indian dressing room

Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan revealed that he and Virat Kohli, despite being close friends, fought a lot when they were part of the Indian team. Dhawan and Kohli both hail from Delhi and have played domestic cricket together.

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Dhawan made his India debut in 2010, and Kohli made his India debut in 2008. Both became permanent members of the team and remained teammates across formats till 2022, when Dhawan was sidelined from the Indian team.

Shikhar Dhawan is well-known for his exceptional cricketing flair and has always delighted fans with his light-hearted demeanor. Fans have always been enthralled by his relationship with his childhood cricket partner, Virat Kohli, as the two frequently enjoyed enjoyable moments on the field. On one occasion, however, the two got into a heated altercation on the pitch.

A light-hearted shoulder tackle between the stars during a football warm-up turned into a quick altercation. Shikhar Dhawan thought back on that incident in a recent podcast with Raj Shamani.

“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 aggressive athletes, each one is big in his own right,” Dhawan said.

Shikhar Dhawan reveals his tiff with Virat in the Indian dressing room

Virat Kohli and Shikhar Dhawan have played together since their early professional days. The pair went above and beyond the domestic stage to represent the country at the greatest level. Shikhar Dhawan recently recalled being fired due to Kohli and said that it infuriated him.

“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. I abused a lot… he (Kohli) was in the middle, and 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 said.

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Shikhar Dhawan retired from all cricket in 2024, and Kohli has retired from Tests and T20Is. Virat and Rohit Sharma are expected to feature for the Indian team for the first time since March 2025, when India travels to Australia for three ODIs and five T20Is.

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