Mark Taylor, former Australiaskipper has lauded Virat Kohli’s off-the-field conduct in one of their encounters but felt that the Indian captain’s confrontational approach on the field was something the game does not need.
Meanwhile, Kohli attracted a lot of criticism for his on-field antics during the Perth Test. However, Mark Taylor has revealed a story from four years back to prove that the conduct of Virat Kohli off the field is terrific.
“Four years ago when (Channel) Nine still had the cricket, I was interviewing Virat Kohli when I learned a lot about his character. It was not anything he said but the manner in which he conducted himself,” Taylor said.
“We were filming in a studio at Adelaide Oval the day before the Test when the national anthems blared out on the loudspeakers, as part of rehearsals for the following day, forcing us to take a break. When the anthems stopped after some 10 minutes, the India media manager told me my half-hour was up and gestured for Kohli to leave.
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“Instead of trotting off, as he was entitled to do, Kohli turned to me and asked if I needed more time. I told him I still had a few questions I wanted to ask. ‘Come on’ he said. ‘Let’s sit back down, let’s do it’. I thought that was terrific,” Mark Taylor wrote in a column in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Virat Kohli on the field was a lot different
One of the most successful skippers from Australia, Taylor noted that Kohli, on the field, however, was a lot different. He also the added that confrontation of both the skippers at Perth worried him.
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“He is an outstanding batsman but also hard-nosed and confrontational. I would not be surprised if most Australians mainly see him as the latter, which is unfortunate. While he generally captains the side well, the way he behaves at times does not do himself or his team any good.
“His goading of Tim Paine into a confrontation in Perth worried me. That’s exactly what the game does not need. Cricket is a game about bat versus ball with a bit of theatre when required. That sort of behaviour leaked into the Australian cricket team over the years and is partly the reason we are here today. India, with Virat as their leader, can learn a lot from what has happened to Australia,” Mark Taylor concluded.
