Brad Haddin on Kohli's Frustration: 'Sam Konstas Got Under His Skin'

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Veteran Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin made a bold statement, saying that young Sam Konstas really got to Virat Kohli, who struggled to score big and kept getting out in similar ways. During the Boxing Day Test, Kohli had a shoulder bump with 19-year-old Konstas, which stirred up some drama. Later, Kohli was fined 20% of his match fees for the incident. This all went down when Kohli walked past Konstas while heading to chat with his opening partner Usman Khawaja after the 10th over on the first day of the fourth Test.

Kohli and Konstas faced off and exchanged some words, leading umpire Michael Gough and Khawaja to step in and calm things down.

Haddin pointed out that Kohli was clearly frustrated with his performance throughout the series, and Konstas managed to get under his skin, which contributed to the on-field clash.

"Sam Konstas really got to Kohli. Kohli was feeling the heat... He was struggling with his game. When he came out to bat, everyone in the commentary boxes said Australia would target his patience, and he kept getting out the same way," Haddin shared on the Willow Talk Podcast.

“Virat Kohli kept falling for the same strategy over and over”

Kohli had a rough time during the series in Australia, racking up only 190 runs with an average below 24. He did score an unbeaten century in the first Test in Perth, but overall, he struggled to find his rhythm. He kept making the same mistake, edging the ball outside off stump and getting caught behind or at slip. People started to question his patience as he kept getting out in the same way throughout the series.

Haddin pointed out that Kohli's reaction to Konstas showed that Australia had really gotten to the Indian team.

"He kept falling for the same strategy over and over. This time, the young guy got under his skin. If you were in the locker room, you’d think, ‘We’ve got them now, we’ve really broken India,’" he said.

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