WTC final: "They were singing, 'In your head Kohli, in your head'"- Neil Wagner reveals what made Virat Kohli attempt to shush the crowd
New Zealand pacer Neil Wagner has revealed the reason behind Virat Kohli's 'shush finger' celebrations that dominated most of the World Test Championship final. Wagner said that the Southampton crowd was teasing the Indian captain by singing, 'In your head Kohli, in your head,' to the tune of the famous Cranberries song Zombie.
Neil Wagner, who picked up three crucial wickets in the summit clash, also talked about how the crowd had also prepared a song for Kiwi opener Devon Conway Wagner revealed these tunes became a jovial part of his team's flight back home. In a press conference organized by New Zealand Cricket, Neil Wagner said:
"Yes, the crowd started singing Zombie... They were singing, 'In your head Kohli, in your head Kohli, Kohli.' So they were trying to get under Kohli's skin a little bit and Kohli kept giving it around, giving them the shush fingers. Then there's a song going to Devon Conway sort of as a way of support, they started singing to him."
Neil Wagner added:
"And in the changing room, and even on the plane, we suddenly started singing... I think Tim Southee had his phone out and Zombie started playing on his phone and everyone sort of laughed and started singing along the song a little bit."
Virat Kohli was at its animated best throughout the WTC final, with his innumerable on-field expressions and videos of stump-mic chatter doing the rounds on social media.
The stalwart batter's interactions with the stadium crowd aren't a new thing either. As a captain, he has often tried to exhort and engage stadium supporters by asking them to clap and get behind a bowler.
We heard songs like Cricket's Coming Home and The Mace's Coming Home: Neil Wagner
Neil Wagner revealed a couple of other songs sung during New Zealand's Test series against England which 'stuck' with the Kiwis and became a part of their dressing room banter. Neil Wagner explained:
"Even in Edgbaston, there were quite a few English songs that were sung quite loudly with a pretty big crowd, I think 18-odd thousand people - it was extremely loud on that day - sang some songs that stuck around with us and we started putting into our own words and change a couple of words around."
Neil Wagner added:
"Obviously, [like] the [original] Football's Coming Home, we heard Cricket's Coming Home and the Mace's Coming Home and we started singing along a few of those in the change room which was good fun."
The Kiwi contingent landed in New Zealand on Saturday with the Test mace. They will now undergo a 2-week quarantine before reuniting with their families after the WTC final.