Zampa details the different versions of Virat

Most Australian fans know Virat Kohli as the player they love to hate due to his aggressive, in-your-face demeanor and his prolific run-scoring ability.

He famously got on the nerves of the Australians last time his India side toured in 2018-19, particularly Test captain Tim Paine, who was heard asking opener Murali Vijay, "You can't seriously like him as a bloke?"

While he might rub his foes up the wrong way, ask anybody who has played with him and they will tell you there are two versions of Virat Kohli.

One is the fierce, combative antagonist on the field who is widely regarded as the best batter on the planet and has led his country to the top of the Test team rankings.

The other is a relaxed, generous and humble person off the field, who will go out of his way to accommodate his teammates and create a fun environment.

That is what Australia leg-spinner Adam Zampa has discovered over the past two months playing in the Indian Premier League with Royal Challengers Bangalore under Kohli and alongside the equally intimidating presence of AB de Villiers.

While the lucrative T20 tournament was irregular for many reasons, Zampa found out Kohli was just a regular bloke. 

"He's a totally different person off the field," Zampa said on The Unplayable Podcast.

"You see his aggression and how competitive he is on the field, he's actually one of the most chilled out guys off the field.

"Obviously you always play against him, you get to know what he's like on the field and then being able to spend time away from the cricket field with guys like that, you see how human they actually are.

Image Id: DC8C05E03A2A441C851765022C9D883C Image Caption: Zampa got to know the other side of Kohli during the IPL // BCCI/IPL

"AB de Villiers is an absolute character. He loves a beer more than anyone but he's quite an experienced guy and he knows exactly what he needs to do to get the best out of himself.

"You just realise they're basically just like you. You get to see them from afar and you can make assumptions about what their life is like and what they're like as people. But they're the same as everyone else."

Having been eliminated in the IPL playoffs, Kohli and Zampa will fly to Australia this week on a chartered flight with their Indian and Australian teammates for the upcoming limited-overs and Test series.

The tour starts with three ODIs, which are followed by three T20 internationals and four Test matches, but Kohli will feature in just the white-ball games and the first Test after it was confirmed on Monday he will return home early for the birth of his first child.

But the right-hander will be present for entire white-ball leg of the tour and Zampa doesn’t expect Kohli to temper his aggression now they are IPL comrades.

"He's the kind of guy (that) as soon as he walks across that line, he's a competitive beast," said Zampa, who has dismissed Kohli seven times in 21 matches.

"I saw it firsthand playing with him, there's two different versions of him and that's the weight of expectation he has on himself to perform for India. But when he's off the field he's a lovely guy and very chilled out."

But you can bet Zampa, whose humour is about as dry as a day-five pitch in Pune, will try to crack the Indian skipper, if not with a deceptive leg-break but a disarming joke. 

"He's actually one of those guys … he's a very easy laugh – you can say the worst joke in the world and he'll laugh his head off," he said.

"He'd had enough of me by the end of it trying to make him laugh until his cheeks were sore."

India Tour of Australia 2020-21

Australia ODI & T20 squad: Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey , Pat Cummins (vc), Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Daniel Sams, Kane Richardson, Steven Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

India ODI squad: Virat Kohli (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul (wk), Sanju Samson (wk), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Mayank Agarwal, Ravindra Jadeja, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Yadav, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Navdeep Saini, Shardul Thakur.

India T20I squad: Virat Kohli (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul (wicketkeeper), Shreyas Iyer, Manish Pandey, Hardik Pandya, Sanju Samson (wk), Ravindra Jadeja, Washington Sundar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Navdeep Saini, Deepak Chahar, T Natarajan

Australia Test squad: TBA

India Test squad: Virat Kohli (c) (first Test only), Ajinkya Rahane (vice-captain), Rohit Sharma, Mayank Agarwal, Prithvi Shaw, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Hanuma Vihari, Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Rishabh Pant (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Yadav, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravichandran Ashwin, Mohammed Siraj

Dettol ODI Series v India

First ODI: November 27, SCG, 2.40pm AEDT

Second ODI: November 29, SCG, 2.40pm AEDT

Third ODI: December 2, Manuka Oval, 2.40pm AEDT

Dettol T20 INTL Series v India

First T20: December 4, Manuka Oval, 7.10pm AEDT

Second T20: December 6, SCG, 7.10pm AEDT

Third T20: December 8, SCG, 7.10pm AEDT

Tour matches

Australia A v India A, December 6-8, Drummoyne Oval

Australia A v Indians, December 11-13, SCG (day-night)

Vodafone Test Series v India

First Test: December 17-21, Adelaide Oval, 3pm AEDT (day-night)

Second Test: December 26-30, MCG, 10.30am AEDT

Third Test: January 7-11, SCG, 10.30am AEDT

Fourth Test: January 15-19, Gabba, 11am AEDT

*The matches and travel remain subject to any relevant government restrictions or requirements.