Former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin discussed the Virat Kohli vs Sam Konstas incident during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024/25. Haddin believes Konstas capitalized on Kohli’s frustration, getting under his skin.
Kohli struggled with deliveries outside the off-stump throughout the series, repeatedly falling to balls targeting the fourth stump. On Willow Talk, Haddin explained that Kohli’s frustration stemmed from the predictability of Australia’s strategy to dismiss him, which led to heated exchanges with 19-year-old debutant Konstas.
“He (Sam Konstas) got under Kohli’s skin. Kohli was frustrated… Kohli was frustrated with his game. He came out to bat, everyone in every commentary box said, Australia are going to bowl on fourth or fifth stump, they will play on Kohli’s patience and he got out the same way every time.” [24.20 onwards]
“He fell for the same plan all the time. On this occasion, the young kid got under his skin. He [Kohli] reacted in a way, if you were sitting in the change room, you would have said, we’ve got ’em here, we’ve broken the back of India.”
Haddin also noted that he had never seen a 35-year-old player shoulder-bump a 19-year-old debutant on a cricket field before.
Brad Haddin hopes Virat Kohli scores 700 runs in the Test series against England
India’s next Test series is away to England in June. On the Willow Talk podcast, the host expressed a desire to see Virat Kohli regain his form and score 700 runs in the series. Brad Haddin immediately agreed.
“Yes, yeah.”
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It will be intriguing to see if Virat can bounce back with the bat in the Tests against England. He will need to focus on deliveries outside the off stump, as the English pacers are likely to exploit this weakness in swing-friendly conditions.
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