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The 2014-15 edition of Border Gavaskar Trophy featured an epic showdown between Virat Kohli and Mitchell Johnson. The left-arm pacer Johnson was at his peak whereas Kohli had a point to prove. India lost the series but Kohli earned the opposition's respect for his fighting knocks, leading the team from the front. A decade later, Johnson hailed Kohli's aggressive attitude, a trait he rarely came across in an Indian batter.
“One of Kohli’s attributes stood out early to me above all others – he was up for the fight. That kind of aggressive attitude was something we had rarely seen from an Indian player at that point. We were used to giving it but didn’t always get it back in return," Johnson wrote in a column for The West Australian.
"He took his team with him as well so it’s not an understatement to say that Kohli changed the face of Indian cricket, taking a new generation of players and showing them how to play tough cricket," he added.
Recalling the altercation in Melbourne
The battle between Kohli and Johnson was intense. The pacer hit him with the ball in an attempt to run him out on follow-through. It led to Kohli saying he has no respect for Johnson in a press conference after the day's play. The 43-year-old recalled getting annoyed and then impressed by Kohli's strokeplay often saying 'good shot' but not out loud.
“I was legitimately trying to run him out but he didn’t like what I did. He made some comments in the media that night about having no respect for me as a player, which annoyed me,” Johnson said.
“We got him off guard early and had him playing at a ball he didn’t need to in frustration and unfortunately we dropped him on not many. He then focussed and harnessed his energy and piled on the runs – all 169 of them. also remember the cover drives, the pull shots and the urgency of his running between wickets. One of the best players in the world playing me with so much time, I think I even said ‘good shot’ in my head a few times after being driven down the ground," he added.
One more Test century from Kohli
This time Kohli has touched down in Australia with not many runs under his belt of late in red-ball format. As a fan, Johnson expects him to score a century. He expects a well-contested series between the two top sides.
“I wonder if the situation will give him all the determination he needs or if it will all be too much for him. As a fan now watching on, maybe I’d like to see him make one more Test ton in Australia. As his adversary from a decade ago, maybe not," said the Australian bowler with 313 Test wickets.
"Ultimately, I want to see the best against the best and a series played with all the fire and urgency that has come to mark this great rivalry. And I know that’s where Virat will feel right at home," the southpaw added.
