"That's what brings the best out of us"- Jonny Bairstow on heated exchange with Virat Kohli on Day 3
It was an eventful Day 3 as India's Virat Kohli and England's Jonny Bairstow engaged in a heated exchange at the start of the day. After the 32-year-old was beaten on a few occasions, Kohli took a dig at Bairstow saying that the Englishman could see everything but the ball.
Bairstow said something to Kohli, to which the former Indian captain responded with a 'finger on your lips' gesture, suggesting the Englishman to shut up and continue batting. That possibly fired up Bairstow, as he went into beast mode and launched a blistering counter-attack on the Indian bowlers.
Bairstow vs Kohli 😳
Jonny Bairstow has played down an old-fashioned battle of words with Virat Kohli 😅
https://t.co/mnry6F4Zj0
Bairstow was pumped up as he got to his fifth hundred of the year, and Kohli could do nothing but applaud. However, speaking to Sky Sports at the end of Day's play, Bairstow explained how it is just a 'part and parcel' of the game, saying:
"(On Kohli's sledge) We have played against each other for almost ten years now. It's a bit of a crack-in. We are fiercely competitive on the field. That why we play Test cricket, and that's what brings the best out of us. You want to do whatever you can to get your team over the line, and it's part and parcel of the game."
It's tense out there between Virat Kohli and Jonny Bairstow 😳
#ENGvIND https://t.co/3lIZjERvDW
Virat Kohli fell cheaply once again
It was perhaps a great chance for Virat Kohli to silence his critics and get a big score at Edgbaston with India on the ascendancy. The 33-year-old looked solid during his knock of 20. However, just when he looked good for a big score, Kohli received an absolute pearler from Ben Stokes.
The ball pitched on a good length and took off, catching Kohli by surprise and kissing his gloves on the way to Sam Billings. Although Billings fumbled, Joe Root caught the ricochet, showing some brilliant reflexes at first slip.
A 50-run stand for the fourth wicket between Cheteshwar Pujar and Rishabh Pant means the visitors lead by 257 runs with seven wickets in hand. However, considering England's strong batting and their recent fourth-innings prowess, the visitors would like to add a few more before asking the hosts to bat.