Former Australia batter and current Italy captain Joe Burns recently shared his experience of encountering Virat Kohli during the 2014-15 Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, where Kohli delivered a sharp response to Burns’ attempt at sledging during his debut match. The incident took place during India’s tour of Australia, which also marked Kohli’s emergence as India’s Test leader following MS Dhoni’s retirement after the Melbourne Test. During the Boxing Day clash, Australia had posted 530 runs, and India’s reply was led by Kohli’s brilliant 169. Burns, who was fielding at bat-pad, recalled trying to engage with Kohli after staying silent for four hours.
“In my first game, first Test match at the MCG on Boxing Day, I was 24. I was fielding at bat-pad (close to the batter). Virat scored a hundred that day. There was a bit of chirp going on, not sledging, just the usual with Hadzi (Brad Haddin) behind the stumps and Watto (Shane Watson) at first slip. Nathan Lyon was bowling and I was in close. After four hours of silence, I finally said one line to him: ‘Virat, you’ve got to play some shots,’” Burns recounted. Kohli’s response was immediate and unforgettable. Burns described the moment: “He stopped Nathan Lyon mid-run, turned to me and said, ‘You don’t talk, rookie.’ The very next ball, he smacked it through covers. It was very embarrassing for me. I didn’t say a word for the next four days, but it showed me Virat was not someone to mess with. As a 24-year-old debutant at bat-pad, I realised I picked the wrong player and the wrong time to speak,” he told CricTracker.
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The 2014-15 tour proved significant for Kohli, who amassed 692 runs in eight innings, including four centuries. The series cemented his leadership credentials as he stepped in for Dhoni, who missed the first match and later announced his retirement. Reflecting on Kohli’s impact, Burns said: “Virat Kohli doesn’t take a backward step. He really shaped that team’s identity. Even now, when he’s not in the team, you can see India still play in the mould of what he built over the years. He was always a fierce competitor. Personally, I tried not to look at him on the field because I knew that spurred him on.” Burns, who recently led Italy to their maiden T20 World Cup qualification, added: “I didn’t want to engage with him because he thrived on that. He’s a world-class batter, one of the greatest of all time. That combination of skill and competitiveness defined him, and it set the tone for Indian cricket.” Kohli’s career statistics underline his greatness, with 9,230 runs in 123 Test matches. The incident with Burns during the Boxing Day Test was a small but telling example of Kohli’s ability to respond to challenges with both words and performance.
