'Virat Kohli kept needling him, both stared at each other': Ravi Shastri recalls batter's famous duel
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri recalled Virat Kohli's famous duel with Mitchell Johnson during the 2014-15 Melbourne Test.
Virat Kohli announced his Test retirement last week, and tributes are continuing to pour in. The right-hander called time on his Test career, having played 123 Tests and scoring 9230 runs at an average of 46.85. Throughout his 13-year-long career, Kohli played some memorable knocks, but it is fair to say that Australia brought out the best in the batter. Australia was also Kohli's favourite hunting ground, as he scored seven Test tons Down Under.
Former India head coach Ravi Shastri recalled Kohli's love affair and how his attitude stood out for him during the 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Shastri, who shares a close bond with Kohli, spoke about the famous duel between Kohli and former Australia pacer Mitchell Johnson during the Melbourne Test.
It was the 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy when Kohli announced his arrival on the world stage in the longest format of the game. The 36-year-old smashed centuries for fun. In the 2014-15 series against Australia, Kohli averaged 86.50 across the four Tests.
Kohli was involved in a memorable face-off with Mitchell Johnson during the 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In the Melbourne Test, the left-arm pacer attempted a run-out during his bowling stride. The throw ended up hitting Kohli, leaving the former India captain angry.
Kohli then went on to score 169 in the first innings and this knock was crucial in helping India draw the Melbourne Test.
“I can never forget his verbal exchange with Mitchell Johnson. He kept needling the Aussie during the lunch break,” Shastri wrote in a column for Sportstar.
“Both stared at each other, but I could see that Virat’s ferocity gave the Australian a strong message. A fight was on. It surely was. Virat hammered a sensational 169,” he added.
Kohli's memorable ton in 2018
Virat Kohli once again showed the world what a talent he truly is during the Perth Test of the 2018-19 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The batter scored a pitch on a searing and bouncy pitch at the Optus Stadium.
Recalling this particular knock, Shastri said, “It was a fast track with the ball flying around, but he tore into the bowlers even as most other batsmen looked ordinary on that pitch.”
“Tendulkar also hit a century in Perth in 1992, but then the conditions were so different,” he added.
Coming back to Kohli, he announced his Test retirement on May 12, 2025, just a month ahead of the upcoming five-match series against England, beginning June 20.
Kohli's Test retirement came just days after Rohit Sharma called it quits in the longest format of the game. Both Kohli and Rohit battled poor form in the last two Test series against New Zealand and Australia.
However, Kohli was unable to score consistently for the team in the longest format in the last five years, registering just four tons. This performance in the last few years led to the batter's average falling from 55 to 46.85.
