"Virat Kohli wants to pick up a fight"- RCB teammate levels serious allegations

India's star cricketer Virat Kohli is not having a great series with the bat in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy but has been in the headlines for the wrong reasons. In the last Test at Melbourne, Kohli was involved in a physical altercation with the youngster Sam Konstas.

Kohli has been severely targeted by the Australian media who even called him a 'clown' for his antics. With so much happening around him, former Australia captain Aaron Finch has opened up on Kohli's behavior in this series.

Finch spoke about Kohli's shoulder barge with Sam Konstas at MCG and claimed that the Indian veteran is trying to pick up a fight by doing such things which can fire him up to give his best.

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Virat Kohli is "trying to be antagonistic" - Aaron Finch

Aaron Finch was speaking on the podcast 'Around the Wicket' after India's loss to Australia in Melbourne. Finch spoke about Kohli's behavior and claimed that Kohli is trying to be an antagonist to give his best performance.

"Virat's (Kohli) someone who's always thrived on pressure and he's thrived when his back is against the wall. It just feels like at this stage, he is trying to put his own back against the wall.," Finch noted.

"He's trying to be antagonistic, he's trying to almost pick a fight because that's when he plays when he feels like someone's coming at him. That's when he puts all his skills on show," he added.

Virat Kohli was involved in a shoulder barge with Australia's latest debutant Sam Konstas during the first day of the Melbourne Test. After the end of the 10th over, Kohli suddenly seemed to walk past Konstas and barge his shoulder into him.

He looked back and both the players shot a few verbal volleys at each other before the non-striker Usman Khawaja had to calm them down. The matter was resolved and Kohli was fined 20 percent of his match fees.

Aaron Finch on Virat Kohli's knock at MCG

Further speaking on Virat Kohli, Aaron Finch reckoned that Virat Kohli is pushing people towards a fight so that he has the motivation to perform well. He praised Kohli's first innings knock in Melbourne in which he was dismissed after getting set.

"It just feels like he's pushing other people to make him feel like that and we've not seen the best of him in this series yet. He looked beautiful in the first innings at Melbourne and looked like he wasn't going to get out but Australia have bowled well," the former Australia opener said.

Kohli scored a patient 36 off 86 balls in the first innings of Melbourne Test. The 36-year-old left the ball exceptionally well at the start of his innings which made the Australian bowlers work hard. However, he lost his concentration and finally edged the ball behind to be caught easily by Alex Carey.

Virat Kohli's recent numbers

After the hundred in Perth, Virat Kohli has struggled for runs in this series. The veteran India batter has scored 167 runs in seven innings at an average of 27.83. He has been constantly tested by the balls outside the off stump as the Australian bowlers have persisted on a particular plan for him so far.

Kohli has struggled to overcome his weakness and is under immense pressure to perform in Sydney. Not only the ongoing series, Kohli's poor form has continued since India's home Test season where he aggregated 192 runs in 10 innings at an average of 27.83.