ECB takes a dig at Virat Kohli by sharing contrasting pictures of Indian batter with Jonny Bairstow

The official Twitter handle of the England Cricket Board (ECB) trolled Virat Kohli following England's emphatic seven-wicket win over India in the Birmingham Test on Tuesday (July 5).

Kohli had a verbal spat with Player of the Match Jonny Bairstow during England's first innings. The England batter, who was rather watchful for the first half of his knock, went berserk after his spat with the Indian fielder and raced to a century.

After England’s win, the ECB shared two pictures of Kohli and Bairstow in a Twitter post. In the first image, the Indian cricketer is seen gesturing to Bairstow to keep quiet. In the second, a dejected Kohli is seen sharing a hug with the England batter following the end of the match.

The ECB shared the pictures with a zipper-mouth face emoji:

Bairstow followed up his 106 in the first innings in Birmingham with an unbeaten 114 in the second innings. Bairstow and Joe Root (142*) featured in an unbroken 269-run stand for the fourth wicket as England chased down their highest-ever total in Test cricket - 378.

While Bairstow walked away with the Player of the Match trophy, Root was named England's Player of the Series for amassing 737 runs in five Tests at an average of 105.28 with four hundreds and one fifty.

---

“It brings the best out of us” - Bairstow played down “chat” with Kohli

Following the end of the third day’s play in Birmingham, Bairstow opened up about his “chat” with Kohli while he was batting. Playing down the incident, he told Sky Sports:

“We’ve played against each other for a solid 10 years now. It’s a bit of craic. We’re fiercely competitive on the field and that’s what it’s about. We’re playing Test cricket and we’re two competitors. It brings the best out of us. Whatever it takes, you want to get your team over the line and that’s part and parcel of the game.”

As the duo exchanged verbal volleys, the former India captain was caught on the stump mic telling the England batter, “Shut up. Just stand and bat.”

While Bairstow crossed three figures in both innings of the Test match, Kohli had another poor game, being dismissed for 11 and 20. The 33-year-old hasn’t scored an international century since November 2019.