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Virat Kohli has looked back at one of the toughest and most unforgettable moments of his career after revealing one iconic cricket moment he wanted to be part of, as he has taken fans back to one of the craziest Test matches in Indian cricket history.
Remembering the terrifying Johannesburg Test back in 2028, Kohli who was hailed one of greatest cricketers by Brett Lee said it was the most dangerous pitch he had ever batted on and revealed how Team India still decided to fight till the end.
Virat Kohli recalls the most dangerous pitch of his career
Virat Kohli highlighted how the fearless mindset of the Indian cricket team was during the Ravi Shastri era. The conditions were too risky, and South Africa and match officials were too ready to forfeit the match, but India refused to step back and chose to fight till the very end.
The third Test of India’s 2018 tour of South Africa at the Wanderers Stadium was one of the most dangerous matches the red-ball game has ever seen. The pitch had too much bounce, the ball was moving sharply, and even good deliveries were suddenly jumping at the batters.
Players from both teams were getting hit regularly. Some were struck on their fingers, some on their arms, and some even on their helmets. Batting was extremely difficult, as the ball behaved unpredictably throughout the match.
Virat Kohli recalls the terrifying Johannesburg Test
The biggest scary moment came when Jasprit Bumrah's fast delivery hit South African batter Dean Elgar on the helmet. The incident raised serious safety concerns, and discussions started between the umpires, the match referee, and both captains about whether the match should continue.
Virat Kohli said in a YouTube video shared by one8 - Beyond the Boundary: “South Africa, we're playing in Joburg. Third test. And Bumrah gets Dean Elgar, this guy from South Africa. He hits him on the head. It was a dangerous pitch, honestly. The most dangerous pitch that I've played on. The ball was hitting everyone left, right, and center. Kicking off from length.”
Virat Kohli reveals why India refused to accept draw
Kohli revealed that South Africa captain Faf du Plessis and match officials were worried about the safety of the players, but India wanted the match to continue because both teams had already played on the same surface for two innings. Additionally, the tourists were already trailing 2-0 in the series, so they were not ready to take the easy option or settle for a draw in Johannesburg.
The former Indian captain has further shared, “I heard everyone. And Faf was like, someone's going to get hit. I said no. We need all of us to agree for this game to be called off. We want to play. If you guys want to forfeit at home, it's your choice; it's up to you. We're going to go out there and play. Because we've had two innings. Now suddenly in the last innings, you can't say the pitch is dangerous. You guys were trying to bounce our guys on a dangerous pitch. We're going to take the field and we're going to play.”
'We were not scared of being 3-0 down'
Even with the risk of losing 3-0, the players decided to stay on the field and battle for victory. That fearless approach eventually paid off as they registered a memorable 63-run win against South Africa to avoid the whitewash. In that match, Virat Kohli contributed 54 and 41 runs.
Kohli signed off by saying, “We were 2-0 down. We were not scared of being 3-0 down. Yeah, we were 2-0 down. Like, for us, it was very easy to say, you know, take a draw, man. I mean, we won't lose another one. It's good only; one match will be a draw. No chance. We want to go and play. And we want to play in a certain way.”
