3 times the Aussie media went hard at Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli has been one of India's most successful cricketers against Australia. The right-handed batter has amassed 2,168 runs in 28 Test matches against the Aussies, recording nine centuries and five half-centuries. It is pertinent to note that a majority of those runs have come on Australian soil.

While Virat Kohli has earned the respect of many Australian fans with his extraordinary performances in Test cricket Down Under, the local media still tries to play mind games with him. Just a few days ago, Virat was in the headlines when he stopped the Australian media from filming a video of him and his family at the airport.

Kohli lashed out at a female reporter named Nat Yoannidis at the airport, and the clips quickly went viral on the internet. The Indian batter asked the journalist to keep his individual photos but delete his family's pictures. However, the rules in Australia are different as journalists are free to click pictures of celebrities in public places.

Nine Sports journalist Tony Jones then labeled Kohli as a "bully" for his behavior. Here's what Jones was quoted as saying by Daily Mail:

"Really? Big tough man, Virat. And then he stood over this girl, Nat Yoannidis, who's about five foot one, five foot two, and just absolutely berated her. You're nothing but a bully, Virat."

This is not the first time the Aussie went hard at Virat Kohli. Here's a list of three such instances.

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#1 Media's surprising reaction to Virat Kohli flipping the finger

India's tour of Australia in 2011/12 was the first time Virat played a Test match Down Under. It was a frustrating tour for the Indians who lost by 0-4. During the Sydney Test match, Australia scored 366 runs while losing just one wicket during an entire day's play.

The spectators closer to the boundary line angered Virat with their harsh words for his family and the Indian batter ended up flipping the finger. While Virat tried to justify himself by saying that he heard the worst things he has ever heard from fans about his family, the media slammed him for flipping the finger, arguing that his impulsive reaction will lead to more fans abusing him just to see his reaction again.

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#2 When Australian media mocked Virat for his struggles in England

India was scheduled to tour Australia in late 2018, but the Aussie media began the mind games months before the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. In mid-2018, India landed in the UK for an away Test series against England.

Fox Sports Australia shared a compilation clip of Virat's dismissals from his horrendous tour of England in 2014 and captioned it as follows:

"Virat Kohli's favorite shot in England (with a winking emoji)"

The video quickly went viral on Facebook Watch. It has more than a million views and 31,000 likes on the platform.

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#3 When Australian media compared Virat Kohli with Donald Trump

During the 2017-18 Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, Virat hurt his shoulder and Steve Smith apparently mocked him after the fall of a wicket. Virat decided to give it back to the Aussies with a shoulder celebration after the fall of David Warner's wicket in the Ranchi Test.

It was later disclosed that the broadcaster messed up the frames, and Smith wasn't actually mocking Virat. As per The Daily Telegraph, the broadcaster even apologized to Smith for the mess. After the apology, an Australian journalist asked Virat about his thoughts and he said such things happen on the cricket field.

The Australian media expected an apology from Virat for his actions. When he did not do so, they published an article comparing Virat with US President Donald Trump as a man who is "completely untouchable" and "a law unto himself".