Veteran India pacer Ishant Sharma on Saturday (May 17) opened up on his healthy camaraderie with Virat Kohli, saying that latter will always be "Cheeku" for him -- the nickname known only to those who shared their starting cricketing years with the star batter.

Speaking on Star Sports' Press Room, Ishant reflected on his journey alongside Kohli, a relationship that began in the Under-17 days and continued all the way to international cricket.

Although Kohli transformed himself into one of the legends of the game, Ishant said he still sees him as the same childhood friend he grew up with.

"I think Virat Kohli (the star) is for outside people. I can't see him like that because we played in the U-17s. He is a childhood friend to me," said Ishant.

"When we were in the U-19s, we used to count how much money we had. We used to eat food. When we used to go to the U-19s, we used to save our TAs and take them with us. So, Virat Kohli is different for everyone. He is different for me," he added.

Ishant further stated that the core of their relationship has remained intact over the years.

"Imagine, your brother has reached such heights. Everyone is thinking that he is great. But you will see that at the end of the day, he is a human being. At the end of the day, you have spent a lot of time with him. You know him in and out. You know where he has come from, how he is and how he is not."

Fans recently saw a glimpse of this deep bond when the two were seen warmly embracing on the field ahead of an IPL 2025 match.

Ishant revealed that whenever he meets with Kohli, their discussions don’t feature cricket. Instead, their conversations are filled with jokes, laughter, and nostalgia.

"When we meet, we never talk about how we played so many Test matches. We never talk about it. We talk about funny jokes. This is happening, that is happening, look at this, look at that. Funny jokes," Ishant said.

"I have never felt that he is Virat Kohli. For us, he is Cheeku. We have always seen it like this. He has also seen me like this. We are sleeping together and sharing a room."

Ishant also shared an anecdote from the time he was selected for the Indian team, recalling how Kohli was the one to wake him up and break the news.

"When our India debut came, the name of the team came...he kicked me and said, your name has come. He said, will you really play for India? I said, brother, let me sleep," he said.