{"id":3846,"date":"2016-05-21T20:00:07","date_gmt":"2016-05-21T14:30:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/13.201.39.237\/?p=3846"},"modified":"2016-05-21T20:00:07","modified_gmt":"2016-05-21T14:30:07","slug":"virat-kohli-india-australia-test-match-sledging-banter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/13.207.105.184\/?p=3846","title":{"rendered":"If It Ain\u2019t Broke, Don\u2019t Fix It: Virat Kohli\u2019s Aggression is Essential to Who He Is"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

I<\/span><\/p>f a rupee was donated to the <\/span>Reserve Bank<\/span><\/a> of India every time someone said \u201cVirat Kohli is such a great batsman, <\/span>if only <\/span><\/i>he controlled his aggression a bit…\u201d we could bail out all the struggling public sector banks in the country. Twice. <\/span>\n\nVirat Kohli is not the best batsman in the world, across formats, despite his aggression and combativeness, he is the best because of it. Like all elite sportsmen and sportswomen at the very top, <\/span>Virat Kohli<\/span><\/a> hates to lose. He hates conceding even an inch, or being bullied on the pitch. The relentless and unending desire to win every single moment in the game, to dominate every ball with the bat, to stop every single run on the field, to encourage his troops every single minute on a hot day of a <\/span>Test match<\/span><\/a>, to constantly be performing at 100 per cent, is what makes him Virat Kohli. <\/span>\n\nWith great success comes greater criticism, and this is true for all sports. From the ranting John McEnroe, to the short-tempered Wayne Rooney, and angry <\/span>Serena Williams<\/span><\/a>, premier athletes have always come under heavy criticism for their competitive, aggressive, and in-your-face attitude that has been an essential part of their sporting make-up and what elevated them to the highest level in their field. As fans, we wish they were perfect athletes without the aggression, forgetting that without the attitude they would\u2019ve not come this far. <\/span>\n\nKohli<\/span><\/a> wouldn\u2019t be half the player he is if he didn\u2019t ecstatically send off every opposition batsman or show his disappointment at every decision gone the other way. If he is your <\/span>captain<\/span><\/a>, you love him to bits for how passionately he backs each of his teammates. If he is your opponent, his brash and arrogant presence makes him the perfect b\u00eate noire. <\/span>\n\n

Friendly banter or sledging isn\u2019t an excuse for horrible behaviour, which is why we have umpires, match referees, and microphones on the ground.<\/blockquote>\n\nKohli loves a challenge, a fight, a combative experience. If you give him a daunting total on a tricky wicket in an ODI game, he thrives on chasing it down just to prove all his critics wrong. If you taunt him to find a gap while <\/span>batting<\/span><\/a>, he will take on the challenge and pierce the field to establish his supremacy. If you try to intimidate him with bodyline bowling, he will eventually hook one for six to let you know he means business. If you try to get under his nerves by sledging him, it only charges him up further, bringing out the best in him. Ask Pat Cummins. <\/span>\n\nThe aggression and determination goes far beyond his mouth, his expressions, and his provocative fingers. It is ingrained in his personality \u2013 a typical <\/span>Delhi<\/span><\/a> chaud, if you will. On the third day of the Perth Test on a difficult wicket, Kohli was first hit on the elbow by a Pat Cummins delivery, and then on the forearm by a searing Mitchell Starc bouncer. The physio was on the ground and play was halted for a good five minutes as visuals of Kohli\u2019s swollen arm beamed across the world. Injury scare? From Kohli\u2019s body language during treatment, one could almost hear him say, \u201cHow dare they try to intimidate me, I\u2019ll show them.\u201d Virat Kohli did what Virat Kohli does, scoring a fantastic 123 as more records tumbled.<\/span>\n\nColumnist Rohit Brijnath <\/span>writes<\/span><\/a> about Kohli, \u201cWhy he has a beard and tattoos is unknown because he is intimidating enough. His look is plain: Are you ready because I am.\u201d<\/span>\n\nActor Naseeruddin Shah recently commented on the Indian captain, saying he is the \u201cworld\u2019s worst-behaved player\u201d. He may be right in his assessment. But <\/span>Kohli<\/span><\/a> doesn\u2019t take the field to be the world\u2019s best-behaved player, or the world\u2019s worst-behaved player. He goes on the field to win. And you might say what you like but the truth is, that is what it\u2019s all about \u2013 winning. \u201cThe Gentleman\u2019s Game\u201d is an empty moniker that has long stopped meaning anything, with the incredible money, pressure, and stakes at play. <\/span>\n\nWe either have Virat Kohli with all his hundreds and his motormouth, or we don\u2019t have a Virat Kohli at all. I much prefer the former.<\/span>\n\nFriendly <\/span>banter<\/span><\/a> or sledging isn\u2019t an excuse for horrible behaviour, which is why we have umpires, match referees, and microphones on the ground. Checks and balances exist in the system, and the ICC must come down strongly when the line is crossed. Kohli has been fined in the past, and should be heavily in the future as well, when fault has been established by those in charge. But as long as the chatter is healthy and within the rules of the game, it should be allowed to flow, as has been the case in the India-<\/span>Australia<\/span><\/a> series so far. Human sport should have human element to it, because without the emotions of those playing it, sport might just be a boring endeavour of athletic display by robots. <\/span>\n\nAs \u00a0a fan, I will chuckle for years at gems like \u201cShaam tak khelenge to inki gand phat jaayegi\u201d, as well as enjoy the majesty of the 123 scored on a challenging wicket at Perth. Let the bat, as well as the banter, do the talking, as long as it lies within the rules of the game.<\/span>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Virat Kohli is not the best batsman in the world, across formats, despite his aggression and combativeness, he is the best because of it. Like all elite sportsmen and sportswomen at the very top, Virat Kohli hates to lose.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":164,"featured_media":3847,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[394],"tags":[6667,1499,7182,2263,4263,2264,19,7183,3908,2744,6326,7184,3911,7098,7185,880],"class_list":["post-3846","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports","tag-aggression","tag-australia","tag-banter","tag-bcci","tag-ca","tag-icc","tag-india","tag-match-referee","tag-murali-vijay","tag-odi","tag-serena-williams","tag-sledging","tag-test-match","tag-tim-paine","tag-umpire","tag-virat-kohli"],"yoast_head":"\nIf It Ain\u2019t Broke, Don\u2019t Fix It: Virat Kohli\u2019s Aggression is Essential to Who He Is<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Virat Kohli is not the best batsman in the world, across formats, despite his aggression and combativeness, he is the best because of it. 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