Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan shares a very healthy camaraderie with Virat Kohli. They know each other since their junior playing days for Delhi.

However, Dhawan recently recalled a couple of his intense fights with Virat Kohli, including a football bust-up and a heated run-out.

“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 athletes, aggressive, each one is big in his own right," Dhawan said on the Raj Shamani’s podcast.

“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, 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," he added.

Speaking further in the podcast, Dhawan recounted his first meeting with Kohli, who was a ‘soft-spoken’ lad whose life changed when his father, Prem, passed away during a Ranji Trophy match in 2006.

“Virat, around 16-17 years old, was a bit soft-spoken… Since I was the senior, he spent time with me. At that time, he was focused on food, but once on the field, he only wanted to score runs. He had a clear idea of his game and was always hungry for success," Dhawan stated.

“Unfortunately, when his father passed away, his zeal was already there, but his seriousness increased even more. I clearly remember the match when he came to play on the very day his father died and scored 95 runs. After that, he never looked back," he remarked.

Shikhar Dhawan announced his retirement from all forms of Indian cricket earlier this year. Virat Kohli, on the other hand, is still playing ODIs and the IPL.