The intensity on the field between India and Australia has undergone a notable transformation. From moments of tension and provocations, such as Shikhar Dhawan mocking an injured Shane Watson in 2013 or David Warner acting as a provocateur in 2014-15, to the battles on the field that followed the death of Phillip Hughes, the rivalry has evolved.
There was a time when the rivalry between India and Australia seemed on the verge of coming to blows. India’s tour of Australia in 2018-19 promised to be the most intense, but before that, the ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town marked a turning point.
That series was characterized by jokes, but nothing remotely as hostile as what we were used to seeing when India played against Australia. Later last year, during the World Cup, the Indian captain, Virat Kohli, asked Indian fans to stop booing Steven Smith.
Before the start of the 2020-21 Test series, the question was raised as to whether the newfound respect between these teams would compromise the intensity and integrity of the matches.
On the eve of the first Test in Adelaide, Kohli was asked about the reasons for the improvement in relations, and his answer summed up the evolution of the rivalry: these teams play a lot in the IPL together and know each other better. All the protagonists in this story are also older, wiser, and more secure in their place in the world.
After the Cape Town incident, Australia acknowledged that they had failed in their behavior and strived to find the right balance between competitiveness and exemplary behavior. That said, this has been a year in which people have reviewed their priorities in life and realized how unnecessary certain things had been.
“It’s a combination of all those factors,” Kohli said. “I think this year has also made people realize that a lot of things might not have been necessary in the past, where you hold grudges and have unnecessary tensions between teams and individuals, which is absolutely useless. You’re still going to be professional and make sure you’re positive and aggressive in your body language and the way you conduct yourself on the field.”
Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli: “La apreciación por el rendimiento de alguien o su coraje y carácter llega al final de los cinco días, eso es lo que creo.”Kohli also added: “I don’t think things are going to be as personal as they used to be before, also because we understand that we are contributing to a greater cause. And it is the quality of cricket that has to stand out. Obviously, you are going to try to get people out, you are going to try to score runs, but at the end of the day unnecessary things will filter out on their own.”
Australia’s claims of trying to behave better haven’t always been taken at face value, but Kohli acknowledged that they had changed “to some extent.” “It could be a culmination of playing together in the IPL, a lot of IPL cricket, Australia changing their approach to some extent, and also the way things have panned out this year,” he said. “Everyone is grateful for the opportunity to get back on the field. It’s not that the matches haven’t been as intense or competitive, it’s just that the unnecessary things have been filtered out. I feel there’s a lot more respect between the teams. You can see it on the field, and I hope cricket remains competitive.”
“We shouldn’t compromise the quality of cricket. Banter is going to happen here and there all the time. That’s the highest level of cricket we play, and it’s going to be very competitive. There’s going to be tension, there’s going to be stress, there’s going to be emotions that will be unleashed from time to time. I don’t foresee anything becoming personal. I think also we, all of us, are getting smarter, and [we are] a few years further in our careers. So we’re going to make better and smarter decisions, and make sure the quality of cricket is maintained.”
The dichotomy in all this is that Kohli is well-regarded in Australia because he gives back as good as he gets; in the words of Greg Chappell, that makes him the most Australian non-Australian. Kohli was asked if the players felt vilified for doing what they do at certain times, which is to give their all within the rules to win the match for their teams.
“The media has every right and space to see things and perceive them as and in the way they want,” Kohli said. “For us, as cricketers, we understand that we do what is required for the team at that moment. To make sure we are moving forward as a team, whether it’s dealing with some commentary on the field or just being aggressive in our plans or in our body language as a team.”
At the highest level, the quality of cricket cannot be compromised. If you enter the field thinking that we are going to have smiles and handshakes all day, and you know, we are not going to be so competitive or so aggressive in our body language, then I think it’s the wrong idea. You have to maintain the dignity of the sport, but you also have to understand that you are competing at the highest level with two quality teams facing each other.
And there will be times when things get difficult and teams clash with each other, but not in a disrespectful way, that’s what I meant. There’s definitely a lot more to Test cricket. The appreciation for someone’s performance or their courage and character comes at the end of the five days, that’s what I believe.”
And over the five days, obviously, the public is going to try to make things as difficult as possible for us. We are going to try to make things as difficult as possible for the opposition, and that’s the beauty of Test cricket. You can appreciate the efforts made by both teams at the end of the five days and make sure you don’t take anything off the field, that’s what I meant.”
But on the field, things are going to be competitive, it’s going to be high-voltage cricket because there are quality players on both teams hungry and eager to perform for their teams and make sure they help their team win. It’s definitely going to be as competitive as it has always been for so many years between India and Australia.” In other words, tough but fair. How much more Australian can Kohli be?
