When we hear the word sledging in cricket, it reminds us of the Australian team during the late 90s and early 2000s. Australia, under the leadership of Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting, was not only famous for their skills on the field, but also their aggressive sledging of opponents. The side from Down Under won several games with their skills on the field, but there were times when the Australian team of the past had to take a different approach to gain an advantage over their opponents. Ponting’s Australia had mastered the art of sledging, winning two World Cup titles under that period.
However, when it comes to recent times, Virat Kohli’s Team India came close to replicating Australia, especially in Test cricket. Kohli, during his tenure as captain, had instilled fearless approach in his players.
Under the leadership of the dynamic batter, India won back-to-back Test series in Australia, despite multiple obstacles in their path. Kohli also won five Test maces on the trot from 2017-21.
In a viral video, a young captain was seen giving a fiery pep talk to his players. The kid was seen urging his players to sledge the opponent team right from the get-go.
Sab sledging karengepic.twitter.com/ampBlmmFLW
— Cricketopia (@CricketopiaCom) January 1, 2024
Coming back to Kohli, the 35-year-old stepped down as India’s Test captain following a narrow series loss to South Africa in 2022.
He was replaced at the helm by Rohit Sharma, under whom India reached the final of WTC final last year. However, India lost the final to Australia.
India are currently in South Africa for a two-match Test series. The visitors lost the first Test by an innings and 32 runs.
The second Test starts January 3 in Cape Town.
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