The Indian cricket team is all set to play its first game against the South Africans on June 5th. Both teams are sweating out in the nets session, preparing for an epic battle in the land of English subcontinent. However, before the match to get started the war of words have begun already. Proteas speedster Kagiso Rabada seems to have drawn the first blood as he called upon the Indian skipper Virat Kohli.
Kohli vs Rabada
For every cricket fan, the duel between Rabada and Kohli is perhaps the most interesting battle on the cricket field. Speaking about one of the incidents from the IPL, Rabada revealed how Virat Kohli came out as an ‘immature’ cricketer during a match between the Delhi Capitals and Royal Challengers Bangalore.
In an interview, Rabada said, “I was just thinking about the game plan, really, but Virat, he hit me for a boundary and then he had a word. And then when you give it back to him, he gets angry. I don’t get the guy. Maybe he does it because it gets him going, but that comes across as very immature for me. He is a phenomenal player but he can’t take the abuse,” he said.
Rabada’s response against aggression
When asked about his own response when someone sleds, the pace bowler mentioned that it inspires him up to perform even better. “In fact, for me, it just wakes me up, if anything. If somebody comes to me and says, “I’m going to hit you. I’m going to clobber you. You are soft”, it wakes me up because – it’s a fight-or-flight response,” the 24-year-old added.
He then revealed that the entire incident kept playing in his mind on the way back to the team hotel in the bus, as he kept wondering whether it is anger that makes Kohli the player he is.
“But later that evening, on the bus back to the hotel, I asked myself: ‘That guy [Kohli] always seems to be angry on the field. Is he really angry?’ Then I thought to myself what it would take for me to become really, really angry. That is going to happen very few and far times in between. And becoming angry like that – is that what gets him to play well? Do you know what I am saying? I can’t psyche myself to be angry,” he said.
See how people reacted
https://twitter.com/TheRayEarthNeed/status/1134761755693813760
The article actually proves that Kohli is more mature than Rabada. While Rabada was dwelling on the incident till he reached his hotel room, Kohli seems to have played his innings well. This means the incident did not affect Kohli adversely, which is maturity.
— Bharani Nath Komandur ?? (@kbharaninath) June 1, 2019
https://twitter.com/the_last_harpy_/status/1134764660987650049
Rabada and Kohli will face each other again during India’s highly-awaited opening encounter at The Rose Bowl, Southampton on June 5.
Source: TN
