Former South Africa cricketer Dean Elgar recalled his initial encounter with Indian cricketer Virat Kohli on the Betway South Africa podcast. Elgar alleged that during his first tour of India, Kohli spat at him.
Shedding light on one of their heated on-field cricket exchanges, Elgar recounted his first encounter with Virat Kohli, revealing that he once threatened to beat the India star up with his bat during their match.
"I came into bat and, I was actually like holding my own against Ashwin and what’s his name Jeja, Jeja, Jeja (Ravindra Jadeja) and Kohli spat at me. I said to him if you do that, I’ll **** you with this bat," Elgar said on Banter with The Boys podcast.
Asked if Kohli knew the local slang, Elgar said that Kohli was likely aware of it because of his teammate and South African batting legend AB de Villiers, with whom he played for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
"Yes, he did because de Villiers was his teammate at RCB, so he understood. And I said if you do that, I’ll **** on this field, I’ll absolutely knock you out. And then [he said] ‘Hey **** you, **** you’ (mimicking Kohli), barking up the wrong tree. Anyways, we are in India so you got to be a little bit cautious," he further added.
A couple of years later, Kohli went a step further and personally reached out to Elgar to apologize, when India toured South Africa.
"De Villiers found out what he did, and went up to him and asked 'why are you spitting at my teammate?' Two years later in South Africa, he called me and asks he could go with me for a drink after the series. He said he wanted to apologise for his actions,"Dean Elgar revealed.
"We drank till 3 and ya, that was my first encounter with Kohli," he concluded.
In Elgar's farewell game, Kohli-starrer India secured a memorable victory over South Africa in the second Test, leveling the two-match Test series 1-1. As a token of respect, Kohli presented Elgar with a signed jersey after the final Test got over.