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Jonny Bairstow and Virat Kohli were involved in an ugly exchange of words on Day 3 of the ongoing fifth and final Test between England and India at Edgbaston in Birmingham on Sunday.
Cameras caught Virat Kohli signaling Jonny Bairstow to stay inside the crease after he walked up to the England wicketkeeper batter. The former India captain then made gestures with his hands, telling Jonny Bairstow to shut up.
It's tense out there between Virat Kohli and Jonny Bairstow 😳#ENGvIND pic.twitter.com/3lIZjERvDW
— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) July 3, 2022
Jonny Bairstow, however, underplayed the whole incident, saying that it was “fiercely competitive” nature of both players that led to their altercation in Birmingham.
“We've played against each other for a solid ten years now. It's a bit of craic. We're fiercely competitive on the field and that's what it's about. We're playing Test cricket and we're two competitors. It brings the best out of us. Whatever it takes, you want to get your team over the line and that's part and parcel of the game,” Jonny Bairstow said of his fight with Virat Kohli.
On the other hand, Virender Sehwag claimed on social media that before Virat Kohli’s war of words with Jonny Bairstow, the England batter was batting like Cheteshwar Pujara but the former India captain’s sledging ignited the spark in him, and he began dominating the bowlers as Rishabh Pant did on Day 1, who smashed a whirlwind 146 off 111-balls.
“Jonny Bairstow’s Strike Rate before Kohli’s Sledging – 21. Post Sledging – 150. Pujara ki tarah khel rahe thhey, Kohli ne Pant banwa diya bewajah sledge karke (He was playing like Pujara, Kohli turned him into Pant after sledging him),” Virender Sehwag tweeted.
It wasn’t the first time when Virat Kohli and Jonny Bairstow were involved in a feisty sledging match during the contest. Before Sunday’s episode, Virat Kohli was seen mocking the England batter after India pacer Mohammed Shami troubled him a lot on Saturday. Nonetheless, the two made peace with each other at the close of play as they were seen sharing a good laugh.
However, things turned nasty on Day 3 as Virat Kohli was heard saying “Shut up. Just stand and bat” to Jonny Bairstow on the stump mic.
Virat Kohli then had a chat with England skipper Ben Stokes who then went up to Jonny Bairstow to calm him down and the two punched each other’s gloves before having a good laugh over it.
Before Virat Kohli walked up to him, Jonny Bairstow had made just 13 off 61 deliveries.
But after Virat Kohli’s provocation, his next 87 runs came off just 57 balls.
The England star who was the main hero of England’s 3-0 whitewash of New Zealand before this Test match looked menacing, especially after bringing up his fifty in the first session of play.
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Notably, it took him 20 minutes to score his first run on Day 3. But an altercation with Virat Kohli helped him shift gears.
Runs kept flowing from his bat in the second session as well as Jonny Bairstow coasted through to his third century in as many Tests before being sent back to the pavilion by Mohammed Shami for 106.
Virat Kohli was back in the thick of things because it was he who took Jonny Bairstow’s catch in the slips to provide India with the much-needed breakthrough. Virat Kohli was seen blowing kisses after the England batter’s departure.
Jonny Bairstow brought up his ton in 119 balls, which featured 14 fours and two huge sixes. It was the 32-year-old's fifth hundred of the year.
Nevertheless, Jonny Bairstow was quite happy with his form.
“Pretty pleased, a good few weeks. They hit their straps consistently, tough period last night, shifted the momentum back this morning. Last night was survival, but you've got to be in a positive frame of mind and pick and choose your balls. And choose when to put it back on them. I'm just thinking ball, take the simplicity, remain as free as you can,” he added.
“Sometimes you've got to take a couple of risks, but when you're playing well, judgement of length is key. Shami bowled 18 overs with the rain-breaks which isn't ideal. Would have liked a few more to get close to them, but if we nick a couple out in the morning… we'll have a chase and we won't be shutting up shop,” Jonny Bairstow insisted.
Even ex-England captain Nasser Hussain was impressed with Jonny Bairstow's batting.
“Jonny Bairstow is in the form of his life. He epitomises what McCullum and Stokes want, positive, but not reckless batting. There has been no reckless batting from Bairstow this summer, he has been brilliant,” he stated.
