How Virat Kohli sledged James Faulkner in the 4th ODI, also had heated exchange with Ishant Sharma

War of words have never been too far whenever India and Australia have come together on a cricket field, and the juiciest battle on the current tour is the one between Virat Kohli and James Faulkner. On the back of a moral victory in the 3rd ODI from their sledging duel, Kohli delivered a stinging barb on Faulkner in the 4th ODI too.

Kohli has returned Australia’s aggression in kind on the current tour, being one of the brightest spots in a losing campaign. His aggression was not limited towards the Australians on Wednesday, however, as he was locked in a short argument with Ishant Sharma as well.

Faulkner decided to pick on Kohli in the 3rd ODI after bowling four consecutive dot balls to him – an act he must have regretted a number of times since then.

In the 4th ODI at Canberra, Kohli took 29 runs off the 16 balls he faced off Faulkner, which included four boundaries and a massive 103-metre six over mid wicket. He was seen pointing his bat towards the bowler and gesturing, and both of them had wry smiles on their faces.

However, the most stinging insult he threw towards Faulkner had nothing to do with his bowling. After taking a quick run and Faulkner failed to hit the stumps with his throw, Kohli turned around and asked him why he was ‘fast asleep’.

Kohli and Ishant’s exchange

The Kohli-Ishant encounter happened when both of them attempted to go for Aaron Finch’s catch as the ball hung high in the air for a while. Kohli pulled out at the last minute, but there remained a chance of a collision till the last moment.

Ishant hung on to the catch, but looked to his left and started berating Kohli immediately afterwards. Kohli also appeared to reply in kind. The batsman then started to smile, but the bowler’s reaction remained miffed.

Kohli was then seen putting his hands on his head in dismay. It looks as if everybody who comes in his path must bear the brunt of Kohli’s aggression, but there is no problem as long as he knows which side he is on and can placate the men on his own side.

He had earlier said about his duel with Faulkner, “I think there have been a lot of smart comments over the years and mine turned out to be a perfectly timed one. I didn’t intend to do that, I just said what came to mind, which was actually not far off from the truth.

“That banter is enjoyable on the field but at the same time you need to focus on your game. That was a fun moment, I guess.”