Hindustan Times ST (Mumbai)

Once I wanted to pick up the stump, stab Kohli: Cowan

- HT Correspond­ent

I had a very sick mum during a series and he said something that was inappropri­ate

Recalling a run-in with Virat Kohli, former Australia opener Ed Cowan said he once felt like picking up a stump and stabbing the current India captain after being told something “highly inappropri­ate”.

India got the better of Australia 2-1 at home in one of the most intense but bitterly-fought series in recent years.

Top-notch cricket aside, the series was marked by one controvers­y after another with the two captains — Kohli and Steve Smith — in the eye of a raging storm.

Cowan was quoted as saying by Fox Sports “I had a very sick and he said something that was inappropri­ate.

“Why I make the point of ‘lost in translatio­n’, he said something that was highly inappropri­ate. A personal matter that was highly sensitive. Highly inappropri­ate. But he didn’t realise that he’d oversteppe­d the mark until the umpire came over and said — ‘Virat that’s oversteppe­d the mark’ — and once that was said, he too a step back and apologised wanted to pick up the stump and stab him.”

The Australian­s have been targetting Kohli ever since he stopped short of calling Smith a ‘cheat’ following the DRS drama

Cowan, who scored 1001 runs in 18 Tests with a best of 136 added that he is a big fan of the Indian.

“I’m a huge fan of his cricket Don’t get me wrong he’s a phe nomenal cricketer.

“I had a little bit of a run-in that was inappropri­ate when he toured Australia and the umpire had to intervene. We forget that English isn’t their first language It’s very easy to sit back and say as a player they’re barking some thing at me that is inappropri­ate when we don’t try and converse

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