There is no denying that Virat Kohli has been the face of Indian cricket despite having stepped down from captaincy three years back. Hence, just like in the old times, he dominated the front pages of Australian newspapers upon his arrival in Perth on Sunday, two weeks before the start of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. However, the media sprung a surprise with fonts in Hindi and Punjabi in their publication.
Virat Kohli as Face of India’s Test Team
The stance of the Australian media went viral on social media as Indian fans shared images of front page of the newspaper, bearing the face of Kohli, with the headline reading: “Yugon ki ladai (Fight for the ages).” The same newspaper also had a section in Punjabi, with an article on young India opener Yashasvi Jaiswal. The headline read: “Navam Raja (The new king).”
Challenges Ahead For Virat Kohli
On Sunday, the first Indian player to arrive in Perth was Kohli, who celebrated his 36th birthday precisely one week ago. Following the conclusion of the pre-series press conference, the remaining players and head coach Gautam Gambhir left Mumbai on Monday, while a separate group of roughly five players departed for Australia on Sunday. The availability of India captain Rohit Sharma for the first game of the series has not yet been confirmed.
Ponting Expresses Concern Over Virat’s Form
Concerned about Kohli’s form, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting estimated that no top-order batsman would have survived a run of only “two (three) Test hundreds in the last five years.” Gambhir, however, retaliated against the Australian and supported the former India captain.
Gautam Gambhir Hits On Ricky Ponting
“How is Ponting related to cricket in India? In my opinion, he ought to consider Australian cricket and, more significantly, have no worries whatsoever about Virat and Rohit. They are really tough men, in my opinion. They have accomplished a great deal for Indian cricket and will do so in the future,” Gambhir stated at a press conference.
Even with Gambhir’s support, Kohli’s Test career could end badly if he has another bad run.
