India captain Virat Kohli has reckoned that he no longer feels the urge to get into confrontations with players in the opposition teams and that he’s become more assured of himself. The two previous series against Australia – away in 2014-15 and at home in 2017 – Kohli has been at loggerheads with the Australian players and often emotions have gotten the better of both sides.
“I think from last time round, I’ve become more assured of myself, I don’t really find the need to prove anything to anyone… I don’t find the need to get involved in anything with the opposition and I think those are changes that keep happening gradually as you go forward,” Kohli told Sydney-based Macquarie Sports Radio.
In the 2014-15 away series, there was a constant bat-vs-ball duel with Mitchell Johnson, which at times had the two of them locked in a staring contest. There was constant ribbing from the field too, which eventually culminated in fiery press conferences where he spoke of not needing to respect individuals from the Australian side when they didn’t respect him.
Kohli was at the peak of his batting powers away from home in that series, and nearly looked to ensure he had the last word in any confrontation that would transpire too in the closely-fought, emotionally-charged series finishing with 2-0 in the home side’s favour.
The home Tests in 2017 too got heated thanks to another such press conference in Bengaluru following Steve Smith’s ‘brain fade’ moment that involved him being told off by umpire Nigel Llong for looking towards the dressing room before opting for DRS in a close call.
