Virat Kohli gets truthful about his equation with Rohit Sharma for last 17 years: 'It was not certain that we would…'

Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, two stalwarts of the cricketing world, continue to remain the backbone of Indian cricket as the recent Champions Trophy triumph put the duo once again on the forefront. Kohli and Rohit started their international career almost at the same - a year gap - and, over the years, proved themselves to become the word beaters across the formats. Rohit made his international debut in 2007, while Kohli joined the Men in Blue a year later in 2008. Virat Kohli (L) and Rohit Sharma share a great bond over the years.( (BCCI - X))

From 2014 to 2023, the duo were at their prime but were still eluded from the ICC titles. However, in the last couple of years, the tide turned in their favour as they won back-to-back ICC titles - T20 World Cup 2024 and Champions Trophy 2025.

They played a key role in taking Indian cricket forward with their captaincies, as the duo had worked together in the past when Rohit acted as Kohli's deputy during the latter's captaincy tenure. Meanwhile, Kohli, being a senior team member, continues to remain a part of the leadership group. A few years back, the duo apparently hit a rough patch as there were several reports of a rift between the two; however, during that phase, they also praised each other on public platforms. In the past few years, Kohli and Rohit have shown a great bond on the field as they are often seen sharing insights on the field and enjoying the team's success together.

The two stalwarts will face off on Monday in the IPL 2025 match between Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

Ahead of the mega clash at Wankhede Stadium, Kohli talked about his bond with Rohit over the years. The RCB superstar said that they have a very natural bond as the two started their career almost together and, over the years, shared insights with each other.

“I think it's a very natural thing to take place when you play with someone for so long and you share so much of your insight of the game initially, your learning from each other, you're kind of growing in your careers at probably the same time, and you share all kind of queries and questions,” Kohli said in a video posted by RCB.

“We worked very closely in terms of leadership”

The former India skipper also discussed working with Rohit in the leadership group and said that trust made their partnership strong.

“So there's a lot of back and forth that happens and also the fact that, you know, we worked very closely in terms of the leadership for the team, so there were always ideas discussed and more or less, we would end up on the same page in terms of the gut feel of that situation - there is a trust factor and do the job for the team,” he added.

The star duo has announced their retirement from T20Is together after India's 2024 T20 WC triumph, but they continue to aim for more titles together for the national team.

“We have definitely enjoyed our time playing together, so we were able to make out careers long because when we were young, as I said, it was not certain that we would end up playing for 15 years for India. The journey for so long and consistently, very grateful and very happy for all the memories, all the moments that we've shared and continue to do so,” he concluded.

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