India’s senior batter Virat Kohli has been on the receiving end of Australian crowd’s rowdy behaviour over the years. While he has got the ‘King Kohli’ tag, he has also been branded as a villain by their media as well. From showing the middle finger to the crowd to shoulder barge involving Sam Konstas in the previous Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, Kohli has made headlines on Australian tours. He admitted that the Australian crowd is intimidating and revealed the advice he got from his former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) teammate Kevin Pietersen on how to handle the crowd in Australia.
“He said, ‘You’d feel like they’re at you the whole time, but at the back of their mind and in their hearts, they really appreciate you standing up and playing that kind of cricket. So, don’t take it personally, don’t take it to heart,’” Kohli recalled while talking to Ravi Shastri and Adam Gilchrist on Fox Sports.
“If you just go out there and play competitive cricket, you will realise how good you can be as a cricketer and you will realise over a long period of time that really helped you shape your whole make-up and your mental set-up as a player.
“I have nothing but gratitude for having experienced all those moments here, and the crowd being at me regularly really brought out the best from me.
“I had no option but to turn up and give 120 percent, otherwise there was no chance I was going to perform in this country and in those hostile conditions.”
How Kohli was tested by Australian crowd
Kohli said that the Australian crowd tests the mental strength of a player. However, it inspired him to play in an intimidating manner.
“They were in your face all the time, trying to be intimidating and take the game on straight away. That was something that really inspired me to come here and try to do the same,” he explained.
“That really shaped me as a cricketer and as a person as well. It really tests your mental strength and resilience, because once you start copping it from the crowd, you can’t escape. You’ve got to come back every day.”
Kohli out for 8-ball duck
Kohli’s return to international cricket was short-lived. He played a maiden over against Mitchell Starc. Then, he changed his bat, went for a booming drive away from the body and was caught at backward point by Cooper Connolly. This is Kohli’s first duck in Australia in his ODI career.