Indian head coach Ravi Shastri described Virat Kohli as an “absolute gentleman” when an Australian journalist asked about Kohli’s behaviour ahead of the Boxing Day Test match.
Well-known, not just for the run-machine that he has proved to be over the years but also his over-the-top celebrations and fiery and pumped-up attitude on the field, the Indian skipper had announced that he would return fire with fire if Australians resorted to sledging.
In line with his statement head of the series, the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Series has witnessed some of Kohli’s verbal fire. However, the world’s number one batsman also gave the world a glimpse of a different side of his persona after winning the third Test match of the series.
In what’s being praised as a “sweet gesture”, Kohli gave a pair of his leg pads to a young cricket fan at the MCG on Sunday after India won the match by 136 runs.
On a day when Kohli won accolades for leading his team to a historic victory at the MCG against Australia and retained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, his gesture has won many a hearts at a time when many, including Indians, were questioning his on-field behaviour.
"Virat K is not only the worlds best batsman but also the worlds worst behaved player. His cricketing brilliance pales beside his arrogance and bad manners.. And I have no intention of leaving the country by the way," Naseeruddin Shah, a veteran Bollywood actor wrote on social media.
However, before the Indian team embarked on the current tour of Australia, Kohli said he wasn't overly aggressive on the field. He said he had done “immature things” in the past and that his team wouldn’t start a verbal duel with the opposition on the current tour of Australia.
"When it comes to getting engaged in an argument on the field, I have been completely okay playing without an altercation. I have enough belief in my abilities.. those were very immature things I used to feed on when I was younger," he said.
"Now being captain of the team, you do not have time to think of anything else apart from what the team needs."
The Indian skipper has been involved in a fair bit of verbal exchange with his Australian counterpart during the current Test series. Some Australian media outlets reported that Kohli boasted that he was the best batsman in the world while taking a swipe at Time Paine and calling him “just a stand-in captain”.
These reports, however, were rubbished by the BCCI which issued a statement and said these reports were “baseless”.
India now has a chance of creating history by winning the first-ever Test series in Australia if the Kohli-led team India can outplay the hosts.
