Virat Kohli, who has been an entertainer on and off the field, has never failed to disappoint his fans with his aggression. The player never shies away from having on-field heated arguments with opposite teams, especially Australia and England. Virat is respected globally for his seemingly invincible records, especially in the world cups and bilateral series. Virat was a bowler’s captain, who didn’t hesitate to allow his bowlers to ball fiery bouncers in exchange of verbal spats with opposition. The recent reports have been disappointing though for the batsman as the Indian team management is looking to drop the batsman from the squad to play t20I world cup in West Indies and the USA this year. Virat averages 51.75 in T20I format, one of the highest among the active Indian players.
As the Indian team may look to snub Virat, his aggression leaves a huge void in the team, posing significant question on who can fill the shoes. Meanwhile, Indian team will definitely look to fill his shoes with like-for-like replacement, let’s delve into Virat Kohli’s top-3 showdowns in his career ahead of T20I world cup 2024.
3. Virat Kohli and Mitchell Johnson in 2014
Virat Kohli and Mitchell Johnson have had a fair share of rivalry moments in cricket with each other. The duo faced each other during Border-Gavaskar trophy in 2014/2015. The iconic trophy featured a number of ugly incidents between Virat and Johnson. During the third test in the series, Virat Kohli arrived at the crease to only find Australian bowlers bowling bouncers and short balls, mainly aiming the batsman’s body. As he was trying settle, Johnson picked the ball coming his way hit by Virat and targeted the batsman’s body. It hit Virat but luckily did not harm him. In reply, Virat smashed the bowler for consecutive boundaries.
3. Virat Kohli and Kesrick Williams in 2019
This incident grabbed the headlines for Virat Kohli imitating Kesrick’s trademark notebook style celebration to sledge the bowler. Later, the then Indian captain had clarified, “Williams had given me the notebook when he dismissed me in Jamaica, so I remembered it from there. We gave each other a high-five later. Play hard but respect the opponent.”
1. Virat Kohli and James Faulkner in 2016
Virat Kohli and James Faulkner too share a moment of heated exchange when Australia toured India for a limited-overs series. During the third ODI match, the bowler was being smashed by Virat across the park. This enraged Faulkner who came close to Virat and tried to provoke the batsman by saying “You tried to smash me there, but you failed.” It didn’t go down well with Virat who gave it back when he was at the non-striker’s end. Virat was heard telling Faulkner, “I’ve smashed you enough in my life. Don’t waste your time, go bowl.” is what Kohli replied to Jimmy Faulkner. The Aussie then replied to him by saying something in the lines of “Yeah b***h we’ll see who’s wasting time after the match”.
These memorable confrontations underscore Kohli’s competitive spirit and his ability to thrive under pressure, leaving an indelible mark on cricket history.
