“ You do not speak, recruit ”: the old Australian striker remembers the ardent response of Virat Kohli during his beginnings to the test | Cricket news
The former striker of Australia and current Italian captain Joe Burns recently shared his experience of Virat Kohli’s meeting during the 2014-2015 boxing test at Melbourne Cricket Ground, where Kohli delivered a strong response to Burns’ attempt to drag in his first game. The incident took place during the tour in India in Australia, which also marked the emergence of Kohli as a test manager of India after the retreat of MS Dhoni after the Melbourne test. During the day after Christmas, Australia had displayed 530 points and India’s response was led by Kohli’s brilliant 169. Burns, who aligned the battle, remembers trying to get involved with Kohli after being silent for four hours. “In my first match, the first test match at the MCG the day after Christmas, I was 24 years old. I was aligned with Bat-Pad (near the striker). Virat scored a hundred that day. There was a little in progress, no sleigh, just usual with Hadzi (Brad Haddin) behind the Stums and Watto (Shane Watson) in First Slip. Finally said a line to him: “Virat, you have to play a few strokes,” said Burns. Kohli’s response was immediate and unforgettable. Burns described the moment: “He stopped Nathan Lyon halfway through, turned to me and said:” You are not talking, recruit “. The next ball, he struck it through covers.
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The 2014-2015 tour proved to be important for Kohli, who raised 692 points in eight heats, including four centuries. The series cemented its leadership references when it works for Dhoni, who missed the first match and then announced his retirement. By reflecting on the impact of Kohli, Burns said: “Virat Kohli does not take a step back. He really shaped the identity of this team. Even now, when he is not in the team, you can see that India is still playing in the mold of what he has built over the years. He has always been a fierce competitor. Personally, I tried not to look at him on the ground because I knew it stimulated him. »» Burns, who recently directed Italy to its first qualification of the T20 World Cup, added: “I did not want to dialogue with him because he prospered on this. He is a world class striker, one of the greatest of all time. This combination of skills and competitiveness defined it, and it set the tone for Indian cricket. ” Kohli’s career statistics highlight its size, with 9,230 points in 123 test games. The incident with Burns during the Christmas tomorrow’s test was a small but revealing Kohli’s ability to meet the challenges with words and performance.
