There are many reasons why India’s former skipper Virat Kohli seems endlessly fired up, perhaps one has to delve deep to comprehend him, the cricketer and the man. There is an expressive reaction after every near-miss, temper writ large on his face after every spill, and who could possibly miss his over-the-top celebration even for a tail-ender’s dismissal. There is never a dull moment for him, perennially charged up with a body language that is permanently over the top. (Pic Courtesy: PTI)
Updated On: 2023-02-21 04:00 PM IST
Aussie cricket legend Mitchell Johnson is known to be smart at his perfect usage of sledging as a weapon to get back at the opposition. Fresh from a record-breaking triumph at home in the 2014 Ashes series, he faced a coming-of-age Virat Kohli, who refused to be intimidated by the former’s searing piece of pace bowling.
There was no stopping the right-hander, as he ran riot in the first three Tests bringing up three blistering tons. However, in the MCG Test, Johnson, keen to avenge his own calamitous bowling, threw the ball recklessly at the stumps and it hit Kohli who quickly crouched to save himself. It seemed Johnson had triggered Kohli’s anger, as he hammered the speedster with the bat like there was no tomorrow. Later, Kohli also blew a flying kiss at a seemingly infuriated Johnson.
The 2015 Border-Gavaskar series is famously remembered for an onslaught of ugly sledging between the two sides. One such incident was when haughty stand-in skipper Virat Kohli took on centurion Steve Smith while standing at slips. Smith was on crease when Rohit Sharma appealed for an LBW, which in turn displeased the Aussies who made a turn at Sharma. This did not sit down well with a charismatic Kohli, who joined in the verbal volley, asking Smith to ‘stay in limits’.
Australian skipper Tim Paine also did not get away in the list of players Kohli lost temper at. Having assured that Australia would tone down themselves under his leadership, Kohli suggested that he would only engage in banter if provoked. In an incident, Kohli moved close to Paine, who rushed to the umpires requesting them to calm Kohli down.
Kohli’s explosive press conference after hammering Johnson in the 2014 series will most certainly go down in the annals of the most memorable verbal retaliation incidents. He went on to admit that he did not ‘respect’ the Australian fast bowler. “I was really annoyed with him hitting me with the ball, and I told him that’s not on. Try and hit the stumps next time, not my body.’ You have got to send the right message across. I am not there to take unnecessary words or chats from someone. I am going there to play cricket, back myself. There’s no good reason that I should unnecessarily respect some people when they are not respecting me,” Kohli stated.
Exactly six years ago, one of the most bitter moments in India-Australia cricket played out in Bengaluru where the sides were locked in a tense, intriguing battle in the second Test of a hotly-contested four-match series. The biggest talking point of the series remains to be captain Steve Smith’s ‘brainfade’ moment, when he was spotted looking up to the dressing room, in the hope of consultation on a review after being adjudged out on field LBW. And then began one of the greatest turmoil ever witnessed on a cricket field. An angry Kohli charged towards the on-field umpires, who signalled him to walk off the field.
