Johnson calls Kohli ‘frustrated’

Melbourne, March 12: Former Australian pace spearhead Mitchell Johnson has called India captain Virat Kohli “frustrated” at not being able to score big runs in the ongoing Test series.

“He’s obviously quite passionate, but I just think he’s frustrated because he hasn’t scored a run and he’s letting his emotions get the better of him,” Johnson said. During the second Test in Bengaluru, Kohli and his Australian counterpart Steve Smith clashed on the controversial DRS call with the Indian alleging that Smith repeatedly sought DRS inputs from the dressing room.

A day after Kohli lambasted the Australian team and just about stopped short of calling Smith a ‘cheat’, the Cricket Boards of India and Australia waded into the controversy by coming out with statements backing their respective captains.

Johnson said, “You could sense the vibe change halfway through the match and it coincided with India getting ahead in the game. “Obviously whenever there’s a wicket the cameras go straight to Kohli to see his reaction — they know they’re going to get those kind of reactions from him.

“And they did! He was giving a send-off to just about every player, which you’ve got to be very careful with. It can happen sometimes, when you’re pumped up and you get a bit too fired up.” Johnson recalled the verbal duels he had with Kohli in the past.

“I felt completely at home watching the action as both teams went toe-to-toe in the second Test because of one man: Virat Kohli. Virat was in the thick of everything.

“He was pumping up the crowd, giving every Australian player a send-off and generally being fired up. It reminded me very much of my playing days because, well, I had a few run-ins with Virat.”