The entire DRS fiasco in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy is far from dying down and that has added more spice to the already enthralling rivalry. With the series level at 1-1, the teams have everything to play for in the third Test at Ranchi as a win could be monumental for both the teams. For Virat Kohli, a big score will just be the perfect answer to silence all his critics taking potshots at him.
One such individual, has been former Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson, who has had several tussles with Kohli in the past. In his column for Fox Sports Australia, Johnson has taunted Kohli, by mentioning that the Indian captain has not scored many runs off late and that has led to him being frustrated.
“He’s obviously quite passionate, but I just think he’s frustrated because he hasn’t scored a run and he’s letting his emotions get the better of him. You could sense the vibe change halfway through the match and it coincided with India getting ahead in the game,” Johnson wrote in his column.
“Obviously whenever there’s a wicket the cameras go straight to Kohli to see his reaction – they know they’re going to get those kind of reactions from him. And they did! He was giving a send-off to just about every player, which you’ve got to be very careful with. It can happen sometimes, when you’re pumped up and you get a bit too fired up.”
Recalling a previous incident, when Johnson threw a ball in return at Kohli, which ultimately led to their hostilities, he wrote, “To be honest, I think it was every time we played. He hasn’t had any time for me since the Boxing Day Test in 2014, when he finished the day saying he had no respect for me. The moment that changed everything was when he blocked a ball back to me and I threw it back at the stumps, seeing Virat was out of his crease and thinking I was a chance of a run out.”
“The only problem was that Virat was in the way. He got hit in the back and I apologized straight away because it was a complete accident, but that message didn’t seem to get through. There were plenty of verbals after that and he hasn’t really stopped since,” he concluded.
As of now, it does seem that Mitchell Johnson is a complete hypocrite who needs to reflect in his inner self. The fiery pacer himself was renowned for giving ugly and maligning send offs to batsmen in his days. Talking the opposite now makes him look like someone dying for attention.