Virat Kohli pulls Rishabh Pant's leg with savage 'IPL Auction' comment: 'He doesn't need to hit, he's going big anyway'
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Team India's batting stalwart, Virat Kohli, produced a brilliant performance on Sunday, smashing his 30th Test century in Perth. Kohli ended over a year-long wait for a Test ton, putting an end to the concerns over his struggles in the longest format of the game. However, Kohli wasn't just at his best with the bat; the former Indian captain is known for his lively presence on the field, and that didn't change even as he batted in the second innings.
The official away broadcasters, Star Sports, posted a video compilation of Kohli having a chat with opponents, as well as fellow batters. The 36-year-old batting great took a playful dig at Rishabh Pant, too; after the Indian wicketkeeper-batter left a delivery, Kohli seemingly turned to bowler Mitchell Marsh, saying, “He doesn't need to hit today. He's going big (at the IPL auction) anyway.”
Kohli was referring to the IPL 2025 auction, which took place following the third day's play; Day 1 saw Rishabh Pant becoming the most expensive player in the history of the auction, fetching INR 27 crore from Lucknow Super Giants.
Watch Kohli's stump-mic compilation here:
Earlier, Team India produce a dominant performance to outclass the Australians, clinching a mammoth 295-run win to take a 1-0 lead in five-match series. On Day 4, the Indian bowlers made easy work of the Aussie batting order, bundling them for 238. Travis Head (89) led the lone fight for the hosts, as he continued to fall out of partners before Jasprit Bumrah ended his counter-attacking knock, denying him a century.
In India's second innings, Yashasvi Jaiswal (161) shined with an incredible century, while KL Rahul also showed great promise with a gritty 77 as the openers stitched a 201-run stand. Kohli, then, produced a classy knock and remained unbeaten on 100, as India declared at 487/6.
Rohit Sharma, who joined the Indian team on Sunday, will return to the side ahead of the second Test and began training with the pink ball during Day 4 of the Perth match.
