Kohli Seeks Intense Cricket: India vs Australia Rivalry Without Extra Tension

From the incident between Shikhar Dhawan and Shane Watson in 2013, to on-field confrontations, the rivalry between India and Australia has had heated moments. In the past, this rivalry almost came to blows on the field. However, the situation has evolved. 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.

A Change of Attitude

On the eve of the first match in Adelaide, Virat Kohli explained that the best relationships are due to teams playing together in the IPL, which allows them to get to know each other better. In addition, the players are older, wiser, and more secure in their place.

Since the Cape Town incident, Australia has acknowledged that its behavior left much to be desired, and they have strived to find the balance between competitiveness and exemplary behavior.

This year has also made people realize that many things might not have been necessary in the past, where you hold grudges and have unnecessary tension between teams and individuals, which is absolutely useless.

Virat Kohli

Kohli also mentioned that the current situation is due to a combination of factors, including Australia’s change of focus and gratitude for returning to the field.

Kohli emphasized that the quality of cricket must be the most important thing. Although competition and aggression will remain present, unnecessary behavior will filter itself out. India’s captain acknowledged that Australia has changed “to some extent”. Kohli believes there is more respect between teams and hopes cricket will remain competitive. He emphasized that it is important to maintain the dignity of the sport, but also to understand that one competes at the highest level. Kohli concluded that the appreciation for the players’ performance and character comes at the end of the five days of play.