Australians are famous for their sledging incidents. It has been their well thought out ploy against the oppositions ever since the McGrath-Lara banter to the latest, Virat Kohli-Mitchell Johnson. Banter and on-field feuds are good for viewers as it ups the entertainment quotient. It is the harsh reality of cricket that sledging takes place, and wicketkeepers are the biggest offenders. Andrew Symonds once admitted to Cricinfo, “I feel scared of batting when Kumar Sangakkara is behind the stumps.” This is a fact even Sanga accepted that wicketkeepers are the most notorious breeds on the field.
Now let us talk about the folks—Virat Kohli leads this pack—who love the chitter-chatter. Lately, former Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy reckoned that he does not like the way in which Virat Kohli sledges. Well, we beg to differ!
And we can prove why:
Kohli was playing a Test, three years back in the southern hemisphere. Australia had match winners in their ranks. The venue was the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground. A certain delivery hit him on the badge and then the return throw from Johnson saw Virat get hit on the chest. That is what agitates him, he immediately joins in a verbal dual with the pacer, which actually worked in his favour. Kohli was on 84 when this happened. He went on to slam a century which saved India the blushes on the first Test at MCG.
In an interview to Star Sports recently, he said, “Once you are in a verbal dual, you cannot shy away or back out.” Now considering this, has Ian Healy rubbed Virat Kohli on the wrong side—and will Australia pay heavily for it?
Ian Healy, being a keeper himself, should not have made such a remark, knowing very well that his nation may face the consequences. Do you think Ian Healy has overstepped the line?
