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Sutherland takes cheeky dig at Kohli

CA boss takes a light-hearted jab at the India skipper, while a former Australia captain weighs into the Kohli-Trump comparison

As the final round of the enthralling Border-Gavaskar Trophy draws closer, Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland has landed a cheeky jab on India captain Virat Kohli.

Speaking on Adelaide radio station FIVEaa, Sutherland was asked whether Kohli should apologise to Steve Smith after he accused the Australians of systematically rorting the Decision Review System in during the second Test in Bengaluru.

Sutherland answered with a laugh: “I’m not sure he knows how to spell the word (sorry) but perhaps at the end of this long and cut-throat series let’s hope the boys can come together and have a bit of a laugh and reflect on that.”

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Tensions boiled over in the second Test when Smith suffered a self-described “brain fade” as he looked up at his dressing room when deciding whether to call for a referral.

Kohli and umpire Nigel Llong spotted Smith’s actions and both men, in contrasting fashion, told the Australian that wasn’t in the rules and that he was to leave the field immediately. 

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In the post-match press conference at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Kohli revealed he had seen Australia players look at the dressing room twice while he was batting as the visitors discussed whether to review an umpire’s decision. 

Kohli stopped short of calling Australia cheats but his message was clear and it prompted both national boards to issue statements defending and supporting their players.

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“I was there and I saw a bit of it and I just couldn’t help,” Sutherland said.

“Steven owned up to it straight away. He said that he’d done the wrong thing and to have his integrity called into question in that way I just thought it was not appropriate.

“I felt I just had to make a stance and let people know we are 100 per cent behind him and don’t have any question whatsoever about his integrity.”

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The BCCI had lodged a complaint with the International Cricket Council in the wake of the second Test about the actions of Smith and non-striker Peter Handscomb, but after Sutherland and his Indian counterpart Rahul Johri met in Mumbai – a meeting that had been arranged prior to the controversy in Bengaluru – the host nation withdrew their objection as both countries called a ceasefire. 

All that aside, Sutherland also said he thought the second Test was the best he'd ever witnessed and praised Smith's side for an improved performance in conditions Australia have struggled to cope with in recent years.

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"It is a great contest," the former Victoria paceman said of the series now level 1-1 going into the final Test in Dharamsala.

"That Bangalore Test, I think it’s the best Test match I’ve ever seen in terms of the game being on a knife-edge the whole time.

"(On-field banter) is part of the rivalry and it shows just how much it means to the teams.

"We’re playing against the best team in the world over there and there’s a lot for us to prove, given we haven’t played that well in the subcontinent.

"That’s one of the things I’m particularly pleased about – the players have adapted, they’ve changed the way they play after a disappointing tour of Sri Lanka (last year, where Australia lost 0-3)."

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Meanwhile, former Australia captain Michael Clarke has rubbished News Limited’s comparison between Kohli and US President Donald Trump.

"What a load of s**t," Clarke told India Today. "This is getting out of control.

"I don't know Donald Trump, never met him, but I know Virat Kohli.

"The media, the fans, the public will see at the end of the this series, Virat Kohli will shake hands with Steve Smith, they'll be good friends again and they'll go to the bar or the IPL or whatever it is and be completely fine. 

"I think this is getting out of control. I don't think Virat Kohli has done anything that Steve Smith wouldn't do, or that I wouldn't have done as a captain."

 


Test Squads


India (for fourth Test): Virat Kohli (c), Murali Vijay, KL Rahul, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ajinkya Rahane, Wriddhiman Saha, Ravichandaran Ashwin, Ravindra Jadeja, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Umesh Yadav, Karun Nair, Jayant Yadav, Kuldeep Yadav, Abhinav Mukund, Mohammed Shami.


Australia: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Ashton Agar, Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Stephen O'Keefe, Matthew Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade


Australia's schedule in India


Feb 23-27, First Test, Pune – Australia won by 333 runs.


Mar 4-8, Second Test, Bengaluru – India won by 75 runs.


Mar 16-20, Third Test, Ranchi – match drawn.


Mar 25-29, Fourth Test, Dharamsala