From Shikhar Dhawan taunting an injured Shane Watson in 2013 to David Warner being used as an official provocateur during the 2014-15 tour; from dealing with “mental disintegration” in 2004 to childish fights on the field even after the death of Phillip Hughes.
There was a time when the rivalry between India and Australia seemed to have been one step away from actual physical blows on the field. The tour from India to Australia in 2018-19 had all the makings of being the ugliest ever, but before that happened, we had the ball handling scandal in Cape Town and something changed.
That series featured mostly funny jokes, but nothing even remotely as disgusting as we had grown used to seeing when India played Australia. Later last year, during the World Cup, India’s captain Virat Kohli asked Indian fans to stop booing Steven Smith, who had done his time and paid off his debts to return to the field for the first time. after their ban expired.
Therefore, before the start of the 2020-21 test series, we have reached a stage where some have wondered if this new respect between these teams will really compromise the intensity and integrity of the tests.
On the eve of the first test in Adelaide, which begins Thursday, Kohli was asked what the reasons for the better relationships were, and his answer summed up the evolution of the rivalry: These teams play a lot of IPL together and thus know each other. best. All the characters in this narrative are also older, wiser, and more confident about their place in the world.
Since the Cape Town incident, Australia has acknowledged that they were faulty in terms of their behavior and has therefore endeavored to find the right balance between competitiveness and model behavior. That said, this has been a year where people have reviewed their priorities in life and realized how unwanted certain things had been.
“It’s a combination of all those factors,” Kohli said. “I think this year has also made people realize that a lot of things might not have been necessary in the past where you hold a grudge and have unnecessary tension between teams and individuals, which is absolutely useless. You are still going to Be professional and make sure you are positive and aggressive in your body language and the way you do things on the field.
“But I don’t think things are going to be as personal as they used to be before, also due to the fact that we understand that we are contributing to a bigger cause. And it is the quality of cricket that has to stand out. Obviously, you are going to try. Get people out, you’re going to try to score runs, but at the end of the day, the unnecessary stuff will pretty much seep on its own. “
Australia’s claims of trying to behave better have not always been taken at face value, but Kohli acknowledged that they had changed “to some extent”. “It could be the culmination of playing IPL together, a lot of IPL cricket, Australia changing their approach to a certain extent, and also the way things have played out this year,” he said. “Everyone is grateful for the opportunity to be back on the field. It’s not that the games have not been that intense or competitive, it’s just the unnecessary material that has leaked. I feel like there is a lot more respect between the sides. You can see that on the field, and I hope cricket remains competitive.
“We must not compromise on the quality of cricket. The jokes will be repeated here and there all the time. That is the highest level of cricket that we play and it will be very competitive. There will be tension, there will be stress, there will be emotions exploding. every now and then. I don’t foresee anything getting personal anymore. I think all of us, too, get smarter and [are] a few more years in our careers. So we’re going to make better and smarter decisions, and we’ll make sure the quality of cricket is maintained. “
We are going to try to make things as difficult as possible for the opposition, and that is the beauty of test cricket. You can appreciate the effort of both teams at the end of the five days and make sure you don’t take anything off the field, that’s what I meant.virat Kohli
The dichotomy in all of this is that Kohli is well regarded in Australia because he gives back the best he gets; in the words of Greg Chappell, that makes him the most Australian non-Australian. Kohli was asked if the players felt vilified for doing what they are at certain times, which is giving their all within the rules to win the match for their sides.
“The media have full rights and space to see things and perceive things as and however they want,” Kohli said. “For us as cricketers, we understand that we do what is required for the team at the time. To make sure we are moving forward as a side, whether it is facing a screech on the field or just being aggressive in our plans or our body language as a side.
“At the highest level, the quality of cricket cannot be compromised. If you are entering the field thinking that we will have smiles and handshakes all day, and you know, we are not going to be that competitive or aggressive in our body.” language – so I think it’s a wrong idea. You have to maintain the dignity of the sport, but you also have to understand that you are competing at the highest level with two quality teams facing each other.
“And there will be times when things will get tough and teams will face each other, but not in a disrespectful way, that’s what I meant. There is definitely a lot more to try cricket. Appreciation for someone’s performance or someone’s determination and character comes to the end of five days, that’s what I think.
“And over the five days, obviously the crowd is going to try to make things as difficult as possible for us. We are going to try to make things as difficult as possible for the opposition, and that’s the beauty of test cricket. You can. efforts made by both teams at the end of the five days and make sure you don’t take anything off the field, that’s what I meant.
“But on the field, things are going to be competitive, it’s going to be high-voltage cricket because there are quality players on both sides who are hungry and wanting to perform for their teams and make sure they help their team win. It definitely is. It will be as competitive as it has always been for so many years between India and Australia. “
In other words, tough but fair. How much more Australian can Kohli get?
Sidharth Monga is assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo
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