UNITED KINGDOM. ENGLAND: The on-field war of words between Jonny Bairstow and former India skipper Virat Kohli took centre stage in the ongoing fifth Test between India and England at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground.
In the midst of the video of their clash going viral on social media, former India cricketer Virender Sehwag’s tweet went viral, highlighting Bairstow’s shift in gear following the Kohli incident. When asked, “Did Kohli poke the bear?” the England batter responded epically.
Day 3 in Birmingham had begun with a tense exchange between Kohli and Bairstow. It wasn’t the first time he’d sledged an England batter in this Test match, as he had done the day before. The video of their spat went viral on social media yet again.
While Kohli may have done it to frighten Bairstow, the latter focused on his batting and eventually reached his third consecutive triple-figure score in Test cricket, scoring 106 runs to help England avoid the follow-on.
Sehwag took to Twitter shortly after Bairstow’s century to highlight the shift in gears in his batting since the incident. “Jonny Bairstow’s Strike Rate Prior to Kohli’s Sledging -: 21; Post Sledging – 150,” he wrote, slamming Kohli for sledging the batter.
At the end of the day, Bairstow was asked if Kohli’s words had made him more determined – “Did he poke the bear?” And he responded, “It’s a nice pun that in it.”
The brawl became so heated that two on-field umpires, Aleen Dar and Richard Kettleborough, were forced to intervene and calm things down.
On the other hand, Bairstow dismissed any differences between the two, saying there was “literally nothing” and instead joked, “Refused to invite him for dinner.”
“As I previously stated, there was nothing. We’ve had the good fortune to play against each other for the past ten years. So I’m confident we’ll be able to have dinner. Don’t be concerned, “He went on to say.
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