Kevin Pietersen Defends Virat Kohli: 'Theatre' on the Field Makes Cricket Exciting

Kevin Pietersen Defends Virat Kohli: 'Theatre' on the Field Makes Cricket Exciting

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Kevin Pietersen, the ex-captain of England, is really enjoying the drama that's playing out in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy between Australia and India. The fourth Test in Melbourne has cranked up the tension to a whole new level, with Virat Kohli right in the thick of it. Kohli made waves on Day 1 of the Boxing Day Test when he shoulder-barged Australia's 19-year-old debutant, Sam Konstas.

As a result, Kohli got hit with a 20 percent deduction from his match fees and also received a demerit point from the ICC. The 36-year-old, who was hailed as "King" when India arrived in Australia back in November, quickly turned into the villain in the eyes of the Australian media, which labeled him a "clown."

Pietersen is all about Kohli's on-field antics, claiming the game would be pretty dull without the "showman." He didn't hold back, saying that many cricketers would hang up their boots after accomplishing just a fraction of what Virat Kohli has done.

"Virat is putting on a show down under! Let’s go! Just think how boring it would be without the showman! He’s earned every bit of it with his runs throughout his career," Kevin Pietersen shared on X (formerly Twitter).

"Most players would call it a day after achieving just a quarter of what he has," he added.

The crowd in Melbourne gave Virat Kohli a round of boos

Virat Kohli was definitely in his element when he stepped up to bat on Day 2 of the fourth Test against Australia. He made a smart decision to let the balls outside the off-stump go by and teamed up with Yashasvi Jaiswal for a solid 102-run partnership.

Unfortunately, a terrible mix-up between Kohli and Jaiswal resulted in Jaiswal getting out after scoring 82. Shortly after, Kohli chased a ball outside the off-stump and was dismissed by Scott Boland.

After scoring just 36 runs, the crowd in Melbourne didn’t hold back and booed Kohli. At one point, he seemed to be bothered by a comment from a fan.

As he was heading into the tunnel at the MCG, Kohli turned back to confront the spectator. An official quickly intervened, putting an arm around Kohli to help diffuse the situation.

By the end of Day 2, India was sitting at 164/5, with Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja at the crease. They still have a 310-run deficit to overcome after Australia scored 474 in their first innings.

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