"You feel like you have got the nation against you" - When Nathan Lyon opened up on the challenge of bowling to Virat Kohli
The duel between Virat Kohli and Nathan Lyon in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which will be played from November 22 to January 7, is a much-awaited one. The seasoned Indian batter and veteran Australian off-spinner have been part of a number of tense clashes between the two teams over the years.
Kohli has played 116 Tests matches for India, scoring 9,017 runs at an average of 48.74, with 29 hundreds. As for Lyon, he has 530 wickets to his name in 129 Test matches, averaging 30.28, with 24 five-fers.
In an interaction with Star Sports in June 2023, Lyon shared his thoughts on what it means to be engaged in a cricketing battle with Kohli. He explained that bowling to the Indian batting genuis can often seem like playing against an entire nation.
“Coming up against someone like Virat Kohli, you obviously feel like you have got the nation against you. If you are able to have a little bit of success and get Virat out or create a chance, you become the most hated cricketer in world cricket quite quickly. I’ve had that little bit of experience bowling to Sachin Tendulkar a number of years ago," Lyon had said.
“Virat is a superstar. [He’s] been the best in the world probably for a long period of time now. For him to constantly perform at this high level is credit to him. It’s been a privilege to play against him and compete. I’ve always said I want to compete against the best in the world. Virat’s probably brought that biggest challenge out of everyone," the 36-year-old had added in praise of the former India captain.
Both Kohli and Lyon are likely to be seen in action when the Border-Gavaskar Trophy begins with the first Test in Perth on November 22. The series will conclude with the fifth and final Test in Sydney, which is scheduled to be played from January 3 to January 7, 2025.
Virat Kohli and Nathan Lyon's record in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy
Kohli enjoys batting against Australia irrespective of the format. The 35-year-old is at No. 7 on the list of batters with most runs in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In 24 matches, he has scored 1,979 runs at an average of 48.26, with eight centuries and five fifties.
Looking at Lyon's record in the competition, he is the leading wicket-taker, with 116 wickets in 26 matches at an average of 32.40, which includes nine five-fers.