Kolkata: Aussies seem to have a perennial problem with Indian cricketers. And their habit of looking down their noses at their rivals is a never ending ‘phenomenon.’ The swipes never end and the latest to join the mission is former Australian cricketer and coach of the Gujarat Lions in the Indian Premier League (IPL), Brad Hodge. Hodge is of the view that Indian captain Virat Kohli missed the fourth Test in Dharamsala to save himself for the IPL.
“You’d hope as a sportsman that he’s seriously injured. I’m hopeful, as a Gujarat Lions coach, that when we play RCB in a couple of weeks, that he’s not playing,” Hodge said to Fox Sports News’ Gameday Live.
He added, “Because if you miss one game of Test match cricket and you’re fronting up the next week for RCB versus whosoever at the Chinnaswamy Stadium- you’d be pretty dirty if you don’t front up to a Test match and try and win a valuable series against Australia- which has been very spiteful as well.” Kohli represents the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the IPL.
Kohli was ruled out of the series decider in Dharamsala because of a shoulder injury he met with in the Ranchi Test. Hodge hopes that Kohli doesn’t turn out to be like other players, who “limped” into the lucrative IPL.
He said, “It’s happened before. Not just Virat but there’re many players that have come up to IPL time and again. Look, we know it’s a cash rich tournament, there’s some money up for grabs. He (Kohli) gets paid a helluva lot of money anyway, so it does not matter, but there are certain players that will limp in, to IPL time, to make sure they get there and perform well, because it is an important tournament for everyone around the world.”
Joining Hodge were former Australian players, Brendon Julian and Brad Haddin. While Julian feels that Kohli playing the role of a waterboy in Dharamsala was pointless and not required, Haddin feels that Kohli risked derailing the captaincy of his stand-in and vice-captain of India, Ajinkya Rahane.
On-field sledging has been the forte of Aussie cricketers. We have witnessed it aplenty in the ongoing series. While this can be excused by putting it as a part of the game, taking a dig at the opposition captain’s integrity and mocking his injury cannot be accepted. The Australian media comparing Kohli to animals and former Aussie cricketers shaming him for his attitude, destroy the true spirit of the game. And the end result is that Australia is staring at a defeat in the fourth Test.
(With inputs from PTI)