"Goal from our point of view was generally to get Kohli riled up as soon as he came out to bat"- Mitchell Johnson recalls battles with Virat Kohli
Former Australian pacer Mitchell Johnson recalled his intense battles with Virat Kohli and said that the Aussies always planned to rile up the ace batter when he came out to bat. The duo enjoyed a bitter off-field and engrossing on-field rivalry during the 2024-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia.
While the hosts won the series 2-0, Kohli was at his best with the bat, scoring four centuries in as many Tests. In the third Test at Melbourne, Johnson also threw a ball towards the champion Indian batter to run him out at the striker's end, which accidentally struck him.
Kohli claimed that he lost respect towards Johnson during his media session after the day's play.
Recalling the incident in the Boxing Day Test, Johnson wrote in his column for the Western Australian:
"Most of our differences stemmed from the Boxing Day Test in 2014, when a ball I threw hit him on the body. 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. The goal from our point of view was generally to get Kohli riled up as soon as he came out to bat and take his focus away from his skills. Get him annoyed and get him playing a big shot early."
"In that Test match at the MCG 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. When bowling to him, I can remember thinking we had to get him early or else we could be in trouble. If you didn’t get Kohli in the first 10 or so balls, he would often make you pay," he continued.
"I 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," Johnson added.
Kohli finished the four-Test series as the second leading run-scorer with 692 runs at an average of 86.50.
"I would become frustrated during some of our battles, but I also enjoyed that he kept coming at me" - Mitchell Johnson
Mitchell Johnson acknowledged the frustrations during his battles with Virat Kohli while cherishing the Indian batter coming at him.
The duo were evenly matched during the 2014/15 series, with Johnson dismissing Kohli three times and the batter scoring 146 runs at an average of 48.70.
"I had a well-publicised personal rivalry with Kohli. We had many interactions on the field and I enjoyed it. While I didn’t know him off the field, on the field we probably played the game in a similar way – taking the game on and not backing down. I would become frustrated during some of our battles, but I also enjoyed that he kept coming at me," Johnson wrote in his column for the Western Australian.
"It’s always a nice feeling to get one of the best out, and likewise, I’m sure he enjoyed taking me down and hitting me for a four or a six. Some don’t like that style of cricket and prefer there’s no chat with the opposition, but I enjoyed that part of the game," he added.
Kohli has often been at his best against Australia down under with an average of over 54, including six centuries in Tests.