"You Don't Talk, Rookie": How Virat Kohli Brutally Roasted Australia Debutant At MCG

Former Australia batter Joe Burns has recalled an incident from his Test debut in 2014, involving India great Virat Kohli. Burns, who now captains minnows Italy, revealed that he tried to sledge Kohli during the Boxing-Day Test, unaware of what the former India captain had in store from him. With Kohli nearing his century, Burns, who was at short leg, finally decided to sledge the batting great, having not said a single word. However, the decision backfired for the 24-year-old, as Kohli warned him not to speak while also calling him a 'rookie'.

"I'm fairly certain Virat scored 100 that day. There was a little bit of chirp going on. Not sledging, just obviously we got Hadzi behind the stumps and Watto at first slip. Nathan Lyon was bowling, so I'm in close. I think it'd been four hours. I hadn't said a word. I think I said one line. I said to him, 'Virat, you got to play some shots," Burns recalled, while speaking to Crictracker.

"He stopped the bowler, stopped Nathan Lyon, turned to me and said, 'You don't talk, rookie.' Next ball he faced up, smacked it through covers. It was very embarrassing for me. I didn't say a word the next four days after that," he added.

Burns admitted that the incident made him realise that Kohli was "not someone to mess with".

"That showed me that Virat was not someone to mess with. As a 24-year-old debutant at bat-pad, I wasn't really the person or in the place to be saying anything to Virat at that point," said Burns.

Burns, however, reserved huge praise for Kohli, and credited him for India's dominance in Test cricket during his time as captain.

"Virat Kohli doesn't take a backward step. He really shaped that team's identity. I think even now that he's not in the team, you can see the way India play is still built on the foundations that Virat put in place over a number of years," he pointed out.

Burns also revealed that he tried to ignore Kohli for the rest of the game, having been caught off guard after the sledging episode.

"I tried not to look at him on the field. I didn't want to engage with him because I knew that really spurred him on. And you factor in the fact that he's a world-class batter, one of the greatest of all time. It's a great combination," Burns concluded.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Australia Cricket Team Virat Kohli Joe Burns Cricket