Recent Australian captain Tim Paine disclosed some interesting facts about his experience with Indian Skipper Virat Kohli and said that many ex-players warned him not to sled Kohli. Kohli is a known beast against the Australian cricket team in all formats. He has scored 2042 runs in Test cricket, played 25 Test matches against them, and is comfortable in the Australian conditions where the atmosphere is generally abrasive.
The then-captain’s performance against Australia is more than exemplary; as they say, the rest is history. An excited former India captain jumps at the chance to bat against Australia’s bowlers and their ululations. He excels at handling lots of pressure, and his prowess in addressing threatening strategies thus constitutes a monumental task for the Australian cricket team.
A dominant performance against Australia, particularly in terms of statistics, supports the view of Kohli as a great talent as well as being mentally tough.
Tim Paine and Kohli: The 2018 Border-Gavaskar Trophy
The 2018 Border-Gavaskar Trophy was a very important series for Tim Paine and Virat Kohli. The SCG Test ended in a draw, and thus India won the 3-match series 2-1, making this India‘s first-ever Test series win in Australia.
The series witnessed aggressive exchanges between Tim Paine and Kohli many times during the series, which turned into a major talking point of the rivalry. The air of competition was apparent, though Kohli’s captaincy and batting ordered India to experience victory.
Paine remembers the conversation he had with Kohli
During an interview with CricTracker, Tim Paine was asked about the advice that was given to him relating to sledding Kohli.
“They would previously say don’t sled Virat. If you don’t sled Virat, most of the time he still gets runs, so it doesn’t matter whether you’re talking to him or not,” Tim Paine said. He agreed with Kohli that, in many cases, since Kohli did not get easily angered by verbal aggression, sledding was not as useful.
Tim Paine went on to explain in detail his plan, saying, “I wouldn’t attempt much to rile up Virat, but I would attempt to divert him if I could because then even a little distraction is something.”
However, Tim Paine expressed his frustration with the common advice to avoid sledding Kohli, noting that such tactics do not inherently improve a player’s performance.
The rivalry continues
As others have said, talking to Tim Paine after the 2018 series might be interesting; the Australians saw firsthand how Kohli could lead his team to victory in Indian conditions. When Kohli stepped on the field in this year’s Australian tour and before that in June-July during the five-match Test Series, the fans had begun looking forward to this duel on the cricketing ground.
Ever since India stepped in to prepare for the tour down under, cricket lovers have proceeded to wait for another interesting series among these competitors. Kohli’s success rate, along with Tim Paine’s honest confessions, gives flavor to the forthcoming face-offs. Given a head-to-head record and rivalry that spans both sides and has a colorful history, the series should be an exciting one for all cricket lovers.
All in all, the conversation that revolves around Tim Paine and Virat Kohli gives the audience a unique insight into the nature of international cricket competition. His aggression while facing the sledding can be considered another proof of his excellent mental condition, making him one of the most dangerous batsmen in the world.
The cricket match between these two teams is going to be fascinating because the two teams have marked themselves as strong competitors for each other, and cricket lovers can only expect more marvelous performances and nail-biting contests in the future.
Also read: Ravichandran Ashwin’s Batting Masterclass Shines in Rain-Affected TNPL Match
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