The Australian cricket team has a unique reputation in cricket. They were once hailed as ‘The Invincible’ in cricket. However, their manner of playing and sledging their opponents did not go down well with the fans and critics. Sometimes the statements from Australian players were far too personal and erupted controversies in the cricket world.
The current Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli is a person who always believes in giving it back to the ones sledging him. The fans saw how he destroyed Kesrick Williams in their sledging war. In this article, we will glance at the five instances when Virat Kohli gave a fitting reply to Australian players.
Virat Kohli gives a perfect reply to an Australian journalist
During a press conference in Australia, a local reporter asked him about his preparations for the sledging war. Virat Kohli replied to him as follows:
“Well, you always have a few who can’t keep calm, in every team. So I have my targets.”
Virat Kohli gives a savage reply to Nathan Lyon
Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon had used Dale Steyn’s words to pull Virat Kohli’s leg during a press conference. Lyon had dismissed Kohli and compared his dismissal with ‘head of snake.’ Next, the reporters asked Kohli about that comparison and he answered back:
“We wanted to bounce back hard. Not to show anyone but prove ourselves how well we can play. They showed the intent, they showed the belief that we can win from any situation. The snake didn’t fall off eventually.”
Virat Kohli silences Ian Healy
Virat Kohli sledged Steve Smith in one of the Test matches between India and Australia. Ian Healy later stated that he lost the respect that he had for Kohli. The right-handed batsman gave Healy the following mouth-shutting reply:
“We’ve got 1.2 billion people in India, one person doesn’t make a difference to my life. Also, you need to go and search on YouTube when he was given out at Centurion, down the leg side– I heard he said something about me not having good behaviour. You should Youtube that video and I think that says it all.”
Virat Kohli on Steve Smith’s brain fade moment
Steve Smith’s infamous brain fade moment during the India vs Australia series drew a lot of criticism towards the former Australian captain. When asked about that incident in an interview, Virat replied:
” We’ve been inconsistent with DRS but one thing is for sure, we don’t ask for help from upstairs (dressing room).”
Virat Kohli gives it back to James Faulkner
During the 3rd ODI between India and Australia in 2016, James Faulkner tried to sledge Virat Kohli during the game after he missed his delivery. He said that Kohli could not smash his deliveries but received the following reply:
“You’re wasting your energy. There’s no point. I’ve smashed you enough in my life. Just go and bowl!”
