Virat Kohli does not need us, we need him: Bumrah
Bumrah, however, stressed that Kohli knows his cricket better than anyone else and that his experience of batting in these challenging conditions was essential from the team’s perspective.
Former England skipper Michael Vaughan, who has been all praise for the Indian team after it defeated the Joe Root-led side in the fourth Test at The Oval to take a 2-1 lead, has said that he saw nothing wrong in Virat Kohli ‘mocking’ the Barmy Army with a trumpet gesture during the match which ended on Monday (September 6).
Several England fans have termed Kohli’s gesture of using his hands to mimic a trumpet — an instrument associated with the Barmy Army — to mock the England fans as ‘unsportsmanlike behaviour’.
But Vaughan said after India’s 157-run win over England that he found Kohli an incredible leader and the gesture was just a “buzz of energy”.
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“Virat Kohli is an incredible leader. He’s just got this buzz of energy. He was taking the p*** out of the Barmy Army with these trumpet signs,” Vaughan told Fox Sports.
“I love it. We don’t have enough characters in the game and mimicking the crowd, trying to get his own supporters going. When they came out after lunch he was getting them going. It was like he was at the end of the long jump in the Olympics trying to get the crowd going. He’s an amazing character and yesterday he gave a tactical masterclass on how to win a Test match,” said Vaughan.
Some in the Barmy Army took Virat’s gesture sportingly, saying the India skipper wanted to become a part of the England team fan club.
“Yes we know you want to be in the army Virat. We get the hint,” a fan was quoted as saying by Daily Mail.
However another fans termed it the “the most unsportsmanlike player of all time”.
The Indian fans though were enjoying Kohli’s gesture, with one of them saying, “Kohli destroyed barmy army with just one gesture”. Another said, “Love Virat Kohli. Real passion merchant. Doesn’t miss a trick in the field, still finds time to taunt the England fans.”
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