India’s cricket team has been practically invincible against Australia over the test series, both at home and away for the past seven years since all of this changed during the 2014/15 Australia tour. The Aussies controlled by Pat Cummins at the moment, would come out to make corrections in the five-match series set to begin on Friday next week. Former fast bowler Mitchell … ‘Johnson’ credits his old enemy Virat Kohli for the complete overhaul of Indian cricket and prosperity alike. Kohli, in Johnson’s opinion, is his biggest asset, his Never Say Die spirit.
“Honestly, the first time I heard Kohli’s name was before I actually saw him play. A lot of people were vocally proclaiming how he was going to become the new Sachin Tendulkar despite everyone being aware that there can be only one Sachin. I was able to compete against both Sachin and Virat in every type of match, and while there are parallels, they were completely different. There was one thing about the personality of Kohli which was above all other takers of his ilk that was, he would not back down from a challenge!” Johnson wrote in his column for The West Australian
“That attitude perhaps came a little too late for India, least in the eyes of an Indian supporter who was more than accustomed to aggression but not receiving it in equal measure back. A cricketer wanting to show aggression has never been an alien concept for Indian players but Kohli was the first one to make it an integral part of his cricketing arsenal. And he took his team with him as well so it would not be wrong to say that Kohli revolutionized Indian cricket by bringing a generation of players and schooling them on how to play hard cricket,” Throwing In Kleinsman Said.
Johnson recalled the 2014-15 series against India which saw most of the runs scored by Kohli, but ended up winning Australia, the four-match series 2-0. also said that he had a painful rivalry with Kohli, while suffering through each second of their every battle.
“Back towards the twilight phases of Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag’s careers, I almost recall a teenage Kohli who would encourage his colleagues to step up in training, especially while fielding. He would practice hard and wanted those around him to train as well. He was tough, but he was exactly the kind of player you wanted on your team because he was loyal, and loyalty is a very important asset in sports. I could feel a change in the Indian team which I played in 2014/15; it was my last full Aussie summer before I hung the international boots the subsequent November. They were fierce competitors and believed they could win the battle on our home soil and while they did not achieve that to us of the summer, won 2-0 by Australia across 4 Tests, last time the Aussies had lifted played for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. I had a rival with him, who was quite famous, from the very start. On the field, we had a lot of great moments and mutual respect on the field,” Johnson remembered.”
