XtraTime Web Desk: Virat Kohli’s battle with the Australian crowd continued on Thursday as he was booed by a large number of Aussie fans at the SCG.
The common chant of ‘Kohli, Kohli’ was buzzing across the Sydney Cricket Ground when the Indian captain came to bat at the crease on Thursday, when the tourists’ fans were overcome with awe.
This is not the first time that Kohli faced this thing. In the earlier three Tests he also faced booing several times. After watching this kind of a thing legendary Ricky Ponting and Travis Head both expressing their disappointment in Adelaide.
It also isn’t the first time that Kohli has been jeered by fans in Sydney.
Kohli’s maiden tour of Australia in 2012 was marred by an incident in the SCG Test, when he was in the field and gave some hecklers the middle finger.
The superstar, fined 50 per cent of his match fee for flipping the bird, went on to score the first of his 25 Test tons later in that series.
“I agree cricketers don’t have to retaliate. What when the crowd says the worst things about your mother and sister. The worst I have heard … never heard crap like that. EVER,” Kohli posted on Twitter at the time.
Kohli, who has previously suggested boos only serve to motivate him, detailed India’s siege mentality on the eve of the fourth Test.
“It’s not only the team you are playing against, it’s the whole nation,” Kohli said on Wednesday.
“Because they get behind the team so well.
“When you walk in to bat, you feel there are 40,000 people who want your wicket, not just the 11 guys on the field.”
Some fans were critical of Kohli but the gifted batsman earned plenty of praise from commentators for throwing his support behind the McGrath Foundation.
Kohli’s gloves and bat both had pink markings, while his bat grip was entirely pink.