From the moment Shikhar Dhawan mocked an injured Shane Watson in 2013, to David Warner’s controversy as the official instigator on the 2014-15 tour, the rivalry between India and Australia has had heated moments. There have been confrontations on the field, even after the tragic death of Phillip Hughes.
There was a time when the rivalry between India and Australia seemed on the verge of coming to physical blows. India’s tour of Australia in 2018-19 promised to be the most tense, but before that happened, the ball-tampering scandal in Cape Town changed the course.
The subsequent series was characterized by banter, but nothing as hostile as we were used to seeing in the clashes between India and Australia. Later, during the World Cup, India captain Virat Kohli asked Indian fans to stop booing Steven Smith.
Before the start of the 2020-21 test series, some wonder if the new respect between these teams will compromise the intensity of the matches.
On the eve of the first test in Adelaide, Kohli explained that the best relationships are due to these teams playing together in the IPL, which allows them to get to know each other better. In addition, all the protagonists are more mature and know their place.
After the Cape Town incident, Australia acknowledged its behavioral errors and has sought a balance between competitiveness and exemplary conduct. This year, people have reconsidered their priorities and realized how unnecessary certain things were.
“It’s a combination of all those factors. I think this year has also made people realize that many things might not have been necessary in the past, where one holds grudges and has unnecessary tensions between teams and individuals, which is absolutely useless. You will still be professional and make sure you are positive and aggressive in your body language and the way you behave on the field.”
Virat KohliVirat Kohli: “La apreciación por el rendimiento o el coraje y el carácter de alguien llega al final de los cinco días, eso es lo que creo.”Kohli 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’s the quality of cricket that has to stand out. Obviously, you’re going to try to get people out, you’re going to try to score runs, but at the end of the day, unnecessary things will filter out on their own.”
Kohli acknowledged that Australia has 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 turned 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 has 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 continues to be competitive.”
“We must not 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 ever becoming personal anymore. I think also, all of us, we’re getting smarter, and we’re a few years into our careers. So we’re going to make better and smarter decisions, and we’ll 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.
Kohli responded: “The media have every right and space to see things and perceive them as and how they want. For us, as cricket players, we understand that we do what is required for the team at that moment. To make sure we move forward as a team, whether facing some banter on the field or simply 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 go out on the field thinking that we’ll have smiles and handshakes all day, and you know, we’re not going to be that competitive or that aggressive in our body language, then I think it’s a bad 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 will get difficult and teams will clash, 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 for someone’s courage and character comes at the end of the five days, that’s what I believe.»
«And during the five days, obviously, the public will try to make things as difficult as possible for us. We will try to make things as difficult as possible for the opposition, and that is 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?
