Virat Kohli and Ricky Ponting engaged in a heated altercation on the field in IPL 2020 according to Ravi Ashwin

Delhi Capitals spinner Ravi Ashwin has revealed that there was a heated altercation that took place between head coach Ricky Ponting and Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli when both the teams had locked horns in the just-concluded Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. The tournament came to an end on Tuesday with the final between Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals.

RCB and DC took on each other twice in the tournament and the latter emerged as winners on both occasions. In the first meeting between the two sides in IPL 2020, DC thrashed RCB by 59 runs. In the second match, DC had won the contest by six wickets. No major controversy had taken place in either of the games but Ponting and Kohli had a go at each other during the second game.

During the strategic timeout, the RCB skipper was having a discussion with on-field umpires when Ponting seemed to have said something before the two engaged in a verbal fight. Fortunately, the incident didn’t snowball into a major controversy.

Ravi Ashwin lifts the lid on the incident

Ashwin recently confirmed the incident as he said Ponting and Kohli had a go at each other. In his YouTube show after Mumbai Indians won the title, Ashwin narrated the incident. He revealed that Kohli & Co. were not happy with him for leaving the field and when they questioned DC for the same, Ponting had given it back to the RCB skipper.

“I had a back problem when I ran. It was a terrible pain. They took MRI scans and it was traced to a nerve pull to the back. I went off after bowling. And you know Ricky, he won’t leave any fight. And when RCB questioned, he said we aren’t like that etc. Heat of moment,” Ashwin said.

In the same contest, Ashwin had also dismissed Kohli for the first time in IPL. Recalling the dismissal, Ashwin said he loves bowling to his India teammate. He also revealed that Kohli never takes chance against him just like MS Dhoni.

“I have always loved bowling to Virat. He would never take chances against me. Would not give his wicket; it was a matter of pride for him. MS Dhoni also, is like that. In Pune, 2016, I set him up with a ball outside off and it went really high and just as I was thinking, ‘Aaha, kohli wicket’, Ankit Sharma let the ball slip through his hands at extra-cover! Ai! What have you done!,” said the off-spinner.

Ashwin and Kohli will now share the dressing room for Team India on the upcoming tour of Australia. India are scheduled to play three ODIs, three T20Is and four Tests in Australia. Ashwin is a part of only the Test side.