Why Australians shouldn't even try sledging Virat Kohli?
An out-of-form batsman coming to bat in Australia is something the Aussies love. They love to get these batsmen on the crease and break them down mentally. Close-in fielders reserve the choicest of words for them, and the bowlers have a go at them with some of their very best snorters.
So no doubt, when Virat Kohli was on his second tour to Australia, the home team was baying for his blood. It was the 2014-15 season, and the first ball Kohli faced on that tour was delivered by Mitchell Johnson, and was a bouncer that hit him hard on the badge of his helmet. Australians aren't known to be very welcoming to guest teams, but a bouncer first up to the opponents' best batsman was a rude awakening.
That came right after he had endured the worst phase of his Test career. In the previous Test series in England, Kohli batted 10 innings without even getting to a half-century, falling in single digits six times out of those ten. He was the perfect fodder for the tried and tested Australian technique of bullying batsmen into submission. Until he wasn't. Indians weren't generally known for getting back at you with words of their own. But Kohli was not the typical Indian batsman. And the Australians soon found that out.
He hit a century in that innings and followed it up with another in the next innings. If it was not for a crazy batting order collapse on the last day, Kohli might have been single-handedly responsible for chasing down 364 in
To be fair to the Australians, sledging generally helps them. It helps them get on the nerve of the opposition batsmenĀ and leads to them having a lapse in concentration. A lapse in concentration can be very detrimental in Test cricket where you need to bat for hours at a stretch. But you need to know which batsmen to sledge. And more importantly, you need to know which batsman to not
The Australians had seen some Indian batsmen who could survive their razor-sharp bowling attacks on tough pitches. They also must have seen people excelling at it. What they probably had never seen was a batsman who gave it back to them, with the bat and in kind as well.
When not on the field, he never held back on his words in the press conferences as well. He knew what the Australians thought of him, but didn't really care about it. āThey were calling me a spoilt brat, I said āmaybe thatās the way I am - I know you guys hate me and I like that." In a press conference during the series, he talked about Johnson saying, "I respect quite a few of them (Australians), but someone (Johnson) who doesn't respect me I have no reason to respect him." Perhaps it's the Delhiite in Kohli that never lets him back out of any challenge, especially on being provoked. But unlike most people in the Indian capital, Kohli had it in him to back his words with his shots.
Even he wondered why the Australians failed to understand that their tactics aren't working, āI donāt mind an argument on the field. It really excites me and brings the best out of me, so they donāt seem to be learning the lesson.ā
With all this knowledge, you'd think the Australians would be wiser, but they still haven't learnt. Mike Hussey and Glenn Maxwell have warned them about what Kohli can do when enraged. "I wouldn't try and fire him up. I think he thrives on that and he's a real competitor. He loves being in the fight and loves the contest out in the middle. There's no need to get involved in that sort of verbal barrage because I think that fires him
But no they don't seem to be taking any of this advice seriously. In his first press conference before the tour, just hours after arriving in India, Aussie captain Steven Smith said his players won't be afraid to give Virat a piece of their mind. Talking to reporters in Mumbai, he said, āI think each of our individuals
No Steve, do not go for it. Going for it would only make sure you face an ultra-inspired Kohli. That is not a batsman you want your bowlers to bowl at. They'll already have a hard time bowling at the regular Kohli. Think of it Steve, they'll already be bowling at a guy who's scored four double centuries in the last seven months. And he'll be playing at home. Not that heĀ needs home pitches, he can smash bowlers on any track in any country on the planet, but here, you guys won't even have the crowd backing you. He is leading a team that is on a roll. They haven't lost a home Test since 2012, and there is no reason to believe the streak won't continue.