"Virat Kohli spat at me... I said I'll absolutely knock you out" - Dean Elgar on shocking first encounter with India star
In a shocking revelation, former South Africa captain Dean Elgar said that Virat Kohli "spat" at him during the Proteas' tour of India in 2015. Elgar, in reply, threatened to knock him out on the field.
South Africa visited India for an all-format rubber in 2015 which included four Tests at the end. It was Kohli's first series at home as captain. The first match was at the IS Bindra Punjab Cricket Association Stadium in Mohali and it was the first time he and Elgar played against each other in red-ball cricket.
Speaking on the "Banter, with The Boys" podcast for Betway South Africa's YouTube channel, Elgar said at the 27:55 mark:
"Those wickets were jokes. Like playing on that... that surface there. And I came into bat and I was actually like holding my own against Ashwin and what's his name Jeja, Jeja, Jeja (Ravindra Jadeja) (smiles) and Kohli, he like spat at me."
"I said to him if you do that, I'll f*****g ***** you with this bat," he added, using a local profanity.
The host asked whether Virat Kohli knew the meaning of the word. Elgar replied:
"Yes, he did because de Villiers was his teammate at RCB, so he understood. And I said if you do that, I'll ... on this field, I'll absolutely knock you out. And then [he said] 'Hey F*** you, F*** you' (mimicking the Indian) but barking up the wrong tree yeah. Anyways, we are in India so you got to be a little bit cautious."
India won the series 3-0 and the duo shared multiple encounters on the field after that. The rivalry ended earlier this year when Elgar retired after the New Year's Test in Cape Town. Kohli presented him with a jersey signed by all Indian players.
Virat Kohli has taken a break for the first two Tests against England
India are currently playing a five-Test series against England at home which started with a narrow win for the visitors in Hyderabad on Sunday. India's No. 4 batter Virat Kohli has taken a rest from the first two matches due to personal reasons and is expected to be back for the third Test on February 15 in Rajkot.