‘Silly’ Virat Kohli slammed for poor leadership
Former Australian paceman Mitchell Johnson calls out the Indian skipper over heated exchanges
New Delhi — Indian captain Virat Kohli faced stiff criticism both Down Under and at home on Wednesday after his side’s crushing loss to Australia in the second Test. Former Australian paceman Mitchell Johnson called Kohli “disrespectful” and “silly” over his heated exchanges with fellow skipper Tim Paine during the Perth Test. Former India great Sunil Gavaskar hit out at “selection blunders” and the Indian Express daily slammed Kohli’s “explicit lack of confidence” in some of his players. Kohli and Paine exchanged barbs, at one point prompting intervention from the umpire, during a game that Australia won by 146 runs on Tuesday to level the four-match series 1-1. It was reported that Kohli belittled Paine as just “a stand-in captain” — a claim angrily denied by India’s team management. The retired Johnson said the famously combative Kohli’s antics were unnecessary. “At the end of the match, you should be able to look each other in the eyes, shake hands and say ‘great contest’,” he w...
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