Having shared the Royal Challengers Bangalore dressing room during the early years of the IPL, Kevin Pietersen has always been an ardent supporter of Virat Kohli, standing by the Indian superstar in moments of triumph and turmoil.
Once again, as Kohli finds himself cornered by the relentless Australian media and jeered by spectators during the Melbourne Test, Pietersen has stepped up to defend the former Indian captain.
'Virat creating theatre down under! Let's GO! Imagine how boring it would be without the showman! And he's earned EVERYTHING with his runs over his career! Many would end their successful international careers with a 1/4 of what he's achieved,' KP posted on X, highlighting Kohli's legacy and his ability to bring unmatched drama to the game.
The fiery atmosphere boiled over on Day 1 of the 4th Test when Kohli made headlines for a heated collision with 19-year-old Australian debutant Sam Konstas. Kohli was later fined 20 per cent of his match fee and handed one demerit point for the incident.
Day 2 brought more drama, starting with a costly mix-up between Kohli and Yashasvi Jaiswal.
Jaiswal called for a quick single after pushing the ball to mid-off, but Kohli, after initially responding, hesitated mid-run to check the ball's position and retreated to his crease.
This left Jaiswal stranded and resulted in the opener's unfortunate run-out. Kohli's own dismissal followed shortly after, as he attempted to chase a wide delivery outside off-stump.
The drama didn't end there. As Kohli walked back to the pavilion, he was met with boos and jeers from the Australian crowd.
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