Felt Like "Punching Bag": Langer On Kohli's Aggresive Celebrations In India's 2018-19 Tour of Australia

"I remember that afternoon (feeling) like a punching bag. We can’t fight back because it felt like we had our hands behind our backs and we just had to take it," Langer said in Amazon's recently released docu-series titled 'The Test'.

Justin Langer

  New Delhi: Indian skipper Virat Kohli's aggresive celebrations during his team's highly succesful 2018-19 tour 'Down Under' made Australian coach Justin Langer feel like a "punching bag", revealed the former Australian Test opener. Langer recalled that during the India vs Australia series played in 2018-19, Australia, who were determined to overcome thier tarnished image on the back of their involvement in the ball-tampering scandal, had decided to not engage with the Indian captain verbally during the series. However, Kohli's on-field antics angered Langer but he could not be expressive about it. "I remember that afternoon (feeling) like a punching bag. We can’t fight back because it felt like we had our hands behind our backs and we just had to take it," Langer said in Amazon's recently released docu-series titled 'The Test'. "You must be feeling the double standards the way their captain is carrying on and we sort of have to be careful. Imagine if we behaved two out of ten (of) that," he said. Langar asked his players to take on Kohli but warned the hosts not to cross the line between banter and abuse. "There is a difference between abuse and banter. There is no room for abuse. We don't need to abuse him but there is banter where you stick up for your mate." On day four of the second Test at Perth, Kohli and his Australian counterpart Tim Paine were involved in a verbal spat. That was time Paine thought he had enough. "I sort of just had enough and thought you also have to stand up for yourself and your teammates and that was one of the reasons I thought, 'no, I'm the captain, it's my turn, I have to stand up and show him we’re here for the fight'," Paine said. Paine was at the receiving end just after he had gone out to bat. "If he messes it up, it’s 2-0. Who’s gonna talk then?” Kohli was caught saying by the stump microphones. Paine did not hold himself back and replied "You've got to bat first, big head" India, led by Kohli, enjoyed an unprecedented summer Down Under, winning the Border Gavaskar Trophy 3-1, their first-ever Test series win on the Australian soil. It was followed by a 2-1 victory in the ODIs, while the T20 series ended in a 1-1 draw.