LSG vs RR: "Quite fun" - Nandre Burger breaks silence on alleged sledging of Virat Kohli during IND vs SA Tests

Rajasthan Royals' South African pacer Nandre Burger has cleared the rumor and has admitted that there was no sledging incident between him and Virat Kohli during India vs South Africa Test series. 

Nandre Burger and Virat Kohli had got into some moments during team India's all-format tour of South Africa wherein the latter only played the 2-match Test series. The series was taking place just after the Indians had lost to the Australians in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 final in Ahmedabad. 

What had happened between Virat Kohli and Nandre Burger?

Most of the Indian team, except for Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, visited South Africa a month prior before the start of the Test series for the white-ball leg. Nandre Burger was a part of the Proteas team that lost the ODI series and drew the T20I series 1-1. Then both the nations clash in the longest format of the game as part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle. 

Rohit Sharma's men were extra determined to win the Test series because no other Indian team had been able to do so. With an aim to breach the final frontier in legendary South African opening batter Dean Elgar's final red-ball series, India lost the 1st Test by an innings and 32 runs. 

With hopes of breaching the final frontier shattered, the Indians played the 2nd Test to win and go back home after equalizing the series. The 2nd Test took place in Cape Town and therein Virat Kohli and Nandre Burger shared some heated moments inside the 22-yards. 

After getting rid of Rohit Sharma, Nandre Burger was hustling to get Virat Kohli out. In the follow-up to one of the deliveries, Burger threatened to hit the stumps when Kohli was standing firm in front. There was a good amount of stare-down between the two with the former India captain smiling it off. 

At the end of that day, the moment went viral all over social media and became the best heated moment of the series. The 2nd Test match then eventually became the shortest Test match ever in terms of balls bowled with the match finishing by the 2nd session of day 2. 

After bowling out the South Africans for 55 and 176 and scoring 153 themselves in their first innings, India claimed victory by chasing down the target of 79. 

Burger says he would enjoy sledging Virat Kohli 

While speaking to Proteas and RR teammate Donovan Ferreira, Nandre Burger was asked about the one batter he enjoys sledging with. To that, Burger said that he just enjoys the competitive side of cricket and that people thinking that he had a sledging episode with Virat Kohli is incorrect. 

Burger revealed that there were only stare downs but if he was to take part in sledging with Virat Kohli, then he would enjoy it.  

"I don't think there is any specific batter I enjoy sledging, I just think I enjoy the competitive side of it. But I think during the India series people thought myself and Virat had a little thing which we actually didn't, there was no sledging happening there, it was just stare downs but I think if I ever get into a little sledging match with him, it'd be quite fun and I think I'll enjoy it," Nandre Burger said via Rajasthan Royal X handle.