Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri has recently revived one of the most famous moments in Border-Gavaskar Trophy history as he shared an unheard tale about the viral Mitchell Johnson vs Virat Kohli during the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in 2014.
India’s 2014-15 tour of Australia is still remembered for Kohli's spectacular performance in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy that was won 2-0 by Australia and his famous tussles with Johnson. During that tour, MS Dhoni stepped down from the captaincy, and Kohli took over the reins in the Sydney Test.
When Mitchell Johnson hit Virat Kohli and ignited one of cricket’s fiercest rivalries
Almost every Indian cricket fan knew how Mitchell Johnson got under Virat Kohli’s skin during the Boxing Day Test at the MCG. The former Australian pacer picked up the ball during his follow-through and then threw it hard toward the stumps. The ball hit a ducking Virat Kohli on his back.
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This sparked a heated argument between the two on the field. That moment pumped up Kohli even more. He later played an amazing innings of 169 runs and helped India save the match with a draw. But that is not only the story from the iconic Boxing Day Test between India and Australia.
Virat Kohli nearly got into physical fight with Mitchell Johnson, reveals Ravi Shastri
Recently, Ravi Shastri appeared on a podcast for Kohli's lifestyle brand One8, where the former coach revealed that he had to step in and pull an angry Virat away to avoid a possible physical fight with Johnson in the dressing room at the MCG. And this was the only time he had to pull the former India captain away from getting into a tussle during their successful stint.
Ravi Shastri recalled on the podcast when he was asked if he ever had to stop Kohli from picking a fight: "Never...No, once, once. I'll tell you about it. This was Melbourne, right. And he and Mitch were constantly having a go, because the first ball he played, he hit him on the head.
And he's off to a start at lunchtime. Both going up... as he enters the dressing room, he's looking at Mitch like this. I had to catch him like this. Come here, come here, focus on your batting. I think of those days and sometimes your hair stands on end."
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India’s golden era in Test cricket under Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri
Meanwhile, Virat Kohli and Ravi Shastri formed a strong and successful captain-coach partnership for India in Test cricket. During their time, the Indian team became the No. 1 Test side in the world and held that position for five years in a row from 2016 to 2021.
India enjoyed huge success in red-ball cricket in that period and dominated teams both at home and overseas. The team also made history by beating Australia in back-to-back Test series on Australian soil, which was seen as one of India’s greatest achievements in Test cricket.
When Virat Kohli became Australian crowd favorite with unforgettable show
Well, Kohli enjoyed a fantastic Test series and completely dominated with the bat. The star batter scored 692 runs at a stunning average of 86.50 and smashed four brilliant centuries along with one half-century.
Kohli's fearless batting and aggressive style made him one of the biggest crowd favorites in Australia. However, Australia won that BGT series 2-0 with India drawing two matches.
On the same tour, India took part in the ODI tri-series against Australia and England, but they managed to win only one match, lost three games, and had one match end without a result, and they failed to qualify for the final.
