Virat Kohli is a player no one wants to mess with, asserts Rashid Latif

Virat Kohli has brought about a revolution in Indian cricket not just in terms of fitness, but also on the attitude front. Under his ‘you hit me, I hit you back’ themed leadership, the Indian side has asserted its authority as one of the most feared sides in world cricket and, unlike the old times, are not afraid to get under the skin of their opponents. As an individual - and batsman - too, Kohli has carried an aggressive persona ever since making his debut and recently, ‘The Test’ documentary showcased the Aussies’ fear and admiration for the Indian skipper.

Former Pakistan wicket-keeper Rashid Latif, who in the past has been vocal about his admiration for Kohli, once again praised India’s talisman and stated that Kohli is the kind of player no one wants to mess with. Latif took Kohli’s bout with Mitchell Johnson in 2014 to prove his point. 

“In 2014 series, when Dhoni retired after two Tests. Then there was one Test, in which Virat Kolhi scored two tons in each innings. In that match, Mitchell Johnson stepped up to Kohli, and dono ke beech theek thaak gaaliyaa chal ri tha. Watch that clip, and you will see Kohli’s reaction was not defensive,”  Latif said in his YouTube channel, reported Hindustan Times.

“There are some players you don’t mess with. We had Javed bhai, Viv Richards, Sunil Gavaskar. Today, Virat Kohli is one such player.”

While Kohli has considerably toned down his aggression over the years, a glimpse of his rabid old self was witnessed in India’s T20I series against the Windies last year, when he went toe-to-toe with Kesrick Williams. Latif further restated the point he made, admiring Kohli’s aggression, and added that his bout versus Williams was a prime example of the same.

“Recently, in a T20I match against West Indies, a left-arm pacer (actually, it was a right-arm pacer Kesrick Williams) said some words to him. Even though Kohli does not score too many runs in T20Is, but he went on to play a great inning in that match. There are certain players you don’t mess with during a match,” he concluded.