In a direct and witty response to ongoing social media friction, legendary Indian spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has once again used his platform to dismantle rumors of a rift with former captain Virat Kohli.
Ravichandran Ashwin claps back at fan’s accusation of rift with Virat Kohli with a humorous reply
On January 29, Ashwin addressed a viral post that accused him of launching an ‘indirect attack’ on Kohli, revealing that the two ‘OGs’ of Indian cricket are as united as ever.
The recent fan accusation against Ashwin stemmed from a video on his YouTube channel where he analyzed India’s T20I progress. Social media users accused him of taking an ‘indirect attack’ at Kohli because Ashwin credited Rohit Sharma for revitalizing India’s aggressive batting style while failing to mention Kohli’s crucial 76-run knock in the T20 World Cup 2024 final. Trolls claimed this omission was a deliberate attempt to belittle Kohli’s legacy and suggest he was a hindrance to the team’s tempo. Ashwin quickly shut down these ‘clickbait fan wars’ by revealing he had personally called Kohli, and the two veterans simply laughed off the manufactured controversy together.
🚨🚨 Ravi Ashwin again indirectly attacks Virat Kohli & hypes Rohit Sharma in T2OIs. He said:
“sure, we won T2OI WC Final in 2024 WC but we were easily losing that game, we won due to Bumrah’s brilliance & Suryakumar Yadav’s catch otherwise South Africa were winning. We used to… pic.twitter.com/7vXhF3W5eg
— Rajiv (@Rajiv1841) January 26, 2026
Ashwin, known for his sharp intellect both on the field and on social media, chose to bypass public drama by calling Kohli directly to address the situation. His post served as a firm rebuke to the culture of online ‘fan wars’ that frequently pit India’s biggest stars against each other. Ashwin clarified the interaction in his signature style:
“Just spoke to Virat about concern on the indirect attack, and we both had a good laugh about how social media works on such clickbait fan wars. Thanks for giving us a reason to bond and talk.” Ashwin wrote on X.
Just spoke to Virat about “Rajiv1841’s” concern on the indirect attack and we both had a good laugh about how social media works on such click baity fan wars.
Thanks for giving us a reason to bond and talk.☺️☺️ https://t.co/0tXfxoNM6y
— Ashwin 🇮🇳 (@ashwinravi99) January 29, 2026
The chase master Virat Kohli’s dual legacy in T20I and ODI cricket
Kohli’s T20I career reached its fairy-tale conclusion on June 29, 2024, when he anchored India to a World Cup title with a match-winning 76 off 59 balls against South Africa, earning the Player of the Match award before officially retiring from the format with 4,188 runs and a staggering average of 48.69.
In the recently concluded home series against New Zealand in January 2026, Kohli displayed vintage dominance by smashing a masterful 54th ODI century (124 off 108 balls) in the third match and a gritty 93 in the series opener, proving that his appetite for the ‘big ton’ is far from satisfied. Despite being briefly displaced from the World No. 1 ODI ranking by Daryl Mitchell on January 21, 2026, Kohli sits comfortably at the No. 2 spot with 795 rating points, well ahead of contemporary rivals like Ibrahim Zadran and Rohit.
His recent form is nothing short of relentless; over his last ten ODI innings, he has crossed the fifty-mark six times, including two centuries during the 2025 Champions Trophy victory and a clinical hundred against South Africa in December 2025. This ‘second wind’ in his career is marked by a refined approach where he balances his trademark aggressive running with a heightened strike rate that frequently touches the 115-120 range during the middle overs. As the ‘Chase Master’ focuses solely on the 50-over format and the IPL, his stats, now nearing 15,000 ODI runs, continue to rewrite the record books, ensuring that while he may no longer wear the blue jersey in T20Is, his shadow remains the longest in world cricket.
