"PC yaar, chal kuch accha sa order kare?" - Piyush Chawla recalls friendly interaction with Virat Kohli during 2023 Asia Cup
Veteran spinner Piyush Chawla remarked how ace batter Virat Kohli has remained the same despite his meteoric rise in the cricketing world. The pair have played together since the early days of their career hailing from north India, and were part of the squad that won the 2011 ODI World Cup.
Chawla recently recalled an interaction with the former skipper during the 2023 Asia Cup in Sri Lanka, where they bonded over their fondness for food. Kohli is known to be a food aficionado, having shared his love for his home town cuisine several times.
"All of the times I have played with Virat, and every time I have met him, my experience has been good. We played junior cricket together, then we played in the IPL, and for India as well, so during all of those years, the experiences were great," Piyush Chawla said on 2 Sloggers.
"Now everyone thinks differently and has their own experiences. But, all of my experiences have been really good. Even now if we meet, it is the same. Recently, I was doing commentary for the Asia Cup and I was near the boundary line for a segment. So, Virat wad fielding there, and he said, 'PC yaar, chal kuch accha sa order kare? (PC my friend, shall we order something nice to eat?). Because we are both quite fond of food. So, the discussions are just as same as it was like 10-15 years ago," Chawla added.
Virat Kohli also had a memorable friendly interaction with his former teammate and veteran seamer Ishant Sharma during the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL).
Kohli's outspoken and eccentric nature has been dissected left and right by pretty much everyone, and while some have praised this trait of his, others have not received it quite well.
Amit Mishra accused Virat Kohli for changing after his rise in cricket
Fellow veteran spinner Amit Mishra held a completely different opinion regarding Virat Kohli when compared to the comments made by Piyush Chawla. While the latter hailed the superstar for staying the same even after his accomplishments, Mishra was blunt in stating that Kohli's attitude and demeanor changed after attaining success.
"I have seen Virat change a lot. We had almost stopped talking. When you get fame and power, they think people are reaching out to them for a purpose. I was never one of those. I have known Cheeku since the time he was 14, when he used to eat Samosas, when he needed Pizza every night. But there is a huge difference in the Cheeku I knew and Virat Kohli the captain. Whenever he meets me, he is very respectful, but it's obviously not the same anymore," Amit Mishra had said on Shubhankar Mishra's podcast.
Kohli was recently seen during the ODI series in Sri Lanka, which India lost 0-2. He is expected to be involved in Team India's home season, beginning with the Test series against Bangladesh in September.