"Had Personal Rivalry With Virat Kohli": Mitchell Johnson's Significant Disclosure Regarding the Border-Gavaskar Trophy

Since the 2014–15 visit, Australia has not defeated India in a Test series, either at home or abroad.

Since the 2014–15 visit, Australia has not defeated India in a Test series, either at home or abroad. The Australians, who are currently led by Pat Cummins, will try to make amends in the five-match series that begins next Friday. Mitchell Johnson, a former pacer who was a member of the final Australian team to defeat India, has given his former rival Virat Kohli credit for permanently changing Indian cricket. Johnson believes that one of Kohli's greatest qualities is his confrontational demeanor.

"I recall learning about Virat Kohli before I even laid eyes on him when he initially entered the scene. Even though we all knew Sachin Tendulkar could never be replaced, many were claiming he was the next one. Despite certain parallels, the two Indian legends I had the good fortune to play against in all formats were completely different from one another. I found that Kohli's willingness to fight was the one that most impressed me right away. In his piece for The West Australian, Johnson writes.

"At the time, we had hardly ever seen an Indian player exhibit that level of aggression. Despite not always receiving it back, we were accustomed to giving it. Although some Indian players may have occasionally displayed confrontational behavior, Kohli truly incorporated it into his style of play. It's not an understatement to say that Kohli transformed Indian cricket by teaching a new generation of players how to play tough cricket, while he also brought his team along."

Even though Australia won the four-match series 2-0, Johnson recalled that in the 2014–15 series against India, Kohli scored most of the goals. Additionally, Johnson claimed to have a personal rivalry with Kohli, but he enjoyed every minute of their duels.

"I heard that a young Kohli would encourage his teammates to work harder during training, especially during fielding drills, towards the conclusion of Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag's careers. He would push those around him to improve by training like he played. Despite his demands, Kohli is the kind of player you want on your squad because he always has your back, which is crucial in team sports. In 2014–15, my final Australian summer before I resigned from international cricket the following November, I saw a change in the Indian team I faced. Australia triumphed 2-0 during four Test matches that summer, which was the last time the Australians had won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, but they were competitive and sure they could defeat us at home. Kohli and I had a well-known personal rivalry. On the field, we interacted a lot, and I liked it," Johnson said.