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Kohli mocked Australian fans during the morning session of the third day’s play of the Sydney Test by showing empty pockets, which indicated that he was not carrying sandpaper.
Sunil Gavaskar slams Virat Kohli. (Picture Credit: Screengrab)
Former India captain and legendary batter Sunil Gavaskar slammed Virat Kohli for his sandpaper act during the third day’s play of the fifth India-Australia Test, which was played at Sydney Cricket Ground. Kohli mocked Australian fans by showing empty pockets, which indicated he’s not carrying any sandpaper. Via his act in the morning session of Day 3, Kohli sent a brutal reminder of the infamous sandpapergate involving the Australian team to the fans.
Gavaskar, who was in Australia to do commentary in the 2024-25 edition of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, criticised Kohli’s act and said that his antics put undue pressure on his teammates as they then become the target of opposition fans.
“Kohli must understand that whatever he does to react to the crowd actually puts more pressure on his teammates, who also then become targets of the spectators,” Gavaskar wrote in his column for the Sydney Morning Herald.
The 75-year-old former cricketer was also critical of Kohli’s shoulder bump to Sam Konstas in the Boxing Day Test played at Melbourne Cricket Ground and said the Indian batting legend should not have gotten physical with the rookie batter.
“What Kohli did with the shoulder bump is simply not cricket. Indians are not shy to retaliate if provoked, but here the provocation was simply not there. The one thing that players learn with experience is that it’s futile to try and get back at the crowds, who have come to have a good time, so booing players is never personal but just a way to entertain themselves. To react to that doesn’t do the player any good and, in fact, does more harm,” he added.
In the five-match Test series, Kohli was only able to score 190 runs and got out in similar manner on eight occasions. He faced a lot of criticism for his batting form, and Gavaskar also joined the bandwagon in criticising his batting performance along with that of Rohit Sharma’s.
“With his continued failures to avoid nibbling at the deliveries around the off-stump, he failed to make the contribution that could have boosted the total. The skipper, Rohit Sharma, was out of his depth, and having taken the brave decision to step aside because of his form, he has also raised big questions about his future in Test cricket.”
- Location :
Sydney, Australia
