'You don't know him': PAK pacer recalls Dhoni's words to Kohli during heated exchange in 2015 ODI WC

India and Pakistan now lock horns in the 22-yard cricket strip only during multi-nation or ICC events. While the meetings have considerably reduced, due to strained political relations between both nations, the rivalry remains spicy and intense on the field. During the 2015 ODI World Cup, India and Pakistan opened their respective campaigns against each other at the Adelaide Oval, Adelaide. In a one-sided contest, MS Dhoni & Co. beat Misbah-ul-Haq by 76 runs to open their account in style. Although the match didn't live up to expectations, there was a lot of heat and intensity between players from both camps with Pakistan pacer Sohail Khan and Virat Kohli being engaged in a heated spat.

The incident took place when Sohail came to bat during Pakistan's 301-run chase at the Adelaide Oval. As per Sohail, Kohli came up to him and started the war of words. Sohail recalled the episode on the Nadir Ali Podcast. He revealed what Kohli told him in the middle. "Aap cricket mein abhi aaye hain. And itni baatein karte ho (You've just arrived and you speak so much)." To this, Sohail said, "I was a Test cricketer back then. I had played Test matches in 2006-07. Then in between, I endured a troubled knee which forced me out of action. I said 'Beta jab tu Under-19 khel raha tha na, tera baap Test cricketer tha' (Son, when you were playing Under-19 for India, your father [referring to himself] was a Test player). That's how I said it."

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Sohail then added, "Then if you see carefully, Misbah intervened and he got angry at me. He asked me to keep quiet. Then MS Dhoni also came and told Kohli 'Side pe ho jao, ye purana chawal hai, tu nahi jaanta isko. (Back down. He has been around for a long time. You don't know him). Kohli then went and stood in one corner."

Talking about the match, Dhoni-led India opted to bat first and rode on Kohli's sublime 107 along with Shikhar Dhawan's 73 and Suresh Raina's 74 to post 300 for 7. In reply, Pakistan never got going in the run-chase with Misbah being the lone warrior; slamming an 84-ball 76. They started off well and were 79 for 1 but once they lost Ahmed Shehzad (47), they never got back in the contest.

India went onto top Pool B, comprising Pakistan, South Africa, West Indies, and the likes, to reach the semi-finals -- where they lost to eventual winners Australia -- whereas Pakistan's campaign came to an end in the quarters.