Nathan Lyon reveals Virat Kohli's never-heard-before 'Federer' story from 2014 Adelaide Test

Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon shared an amusing story about Indian batter Virat Kohli from the Adelaide Test during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2014-15. Nathan Lyon described Virat Kohli as the toughest Indian batter he has bowled to in his illustrious international career with the Australian team.

The Indian team is set to take on the Australian team in the first Test of the five-match series at Optus Stadium in Perth, starting on Friday, November 22. Notably, India will be without skipper Rohit Sharma for the series opener. Virat will have more responsibility in the team, given his record in Australia.

He'd Come Down To The Non-Striker's End And Say 'Federer' - Nathan Lyon

In a recent conversation, Nathan Lyon recalled his encounter with Virat Kohli during the 2014 Adelaide Test. Lyon said that Virat kept saying "Federer" each time he walked down to the non-striker's end. The veteran spinner said when he asked the batter about this Kohli responded, "I've got a beautiful forehand."

"The one battle that comes out to me is the 2014 Test at Adelaide Oval where he got the 100s in both innings. I was bowing to him, and he was batting that easily."

"He'd come down to the non-striker's (end) and just say, "Federer!" And I was like, "Oh, okay, what's this?" And he kept doing it, kept doing it. And every time," Nathan Lyon said.

"Every time he'd come down there, he was like, "Federer, Federer.'" And I said, "Mate, I don't know if I'm wrong, but we're playing the wrong sport if you think you're Roger Federer."

And he goes "Nah nah I've got a beautiful forehand." I'm just like, "Ah, okay." You're a decent player when you can just sit there and do that mid-innings," he added.

Nathan Lyon's "Federer" story about Virat Kohli from 2014 is simply incredible! 🤯 #AUSvIND

See the full video here: https://t.co/ITqfTokuKr pic.twitter.com/LsR7imr4Xz

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 19, 2024

Virat Kohli Scored Centuries in Both Innings of Adelaide Test in 2014

The 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy is a memorable series for Australia. With MS Dhoni ruled out of the first Test due to injury, Virat Kohli stepped up as captain for the first time in a Test match. Kohli scored centuries in both innings of the Adelaide Test, leaving a lasting impact on Australian cricket.

Kohli's first tour of Australia was in the 2011-12 series. He has smashed six centuries in 13 Tests, scoring 1,352 runs at an impressive average of 54.08.

Nathan Lyon One of Four Current Players to Win BGT

The Australia cricket team is gearing up for the upcoming home Test series. Lyon is one of only four players from the current Australian squad who were part of the team's last Test series win against India in 2014-15. Skipper Pat Cummins, who debuted in 2011, has never won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

India secured a historic series win in Australia in 2018-19, when the hosts were without key players Steve Smith and David Warner due to suspensions. However, India achieved another 2-1 series victory when they returned two years later. The visitors will be aiming for their first series win in Australia.

Also read: Sri Lanka Test squad for South Africa series announced