Headline!Sport24.co.za | Aussies no longer friends, says Kohli

Sport24.co.za | Aussies no longer friends, says Kohli

[html]Indian skipper Virat Kohli said he no longer considered Australian cricketers as friends after winning a tense Test series marked by bad blood in Dharamsala.[/html]

Source: Sport24.co.za | Aussies no longer friends, says Kohli

Welcome to our world! As an Englishman and an England cricket fan, Australia have long been the enemy as far as I'm concerned. Not just me, but for many people it's not the way they play the game or the fact that they have been successful, it's more to do with the way they conduct themselves on and off the pitch, because it does leave a lot to be desired.

A bit of banter and healthy rivalry is a good thing in sport, but there's always a line that shouldn't be crossed and it seems as though Australia cross it more than any other country that plays the game. Speaking to one Australian cricket fan, he said it was a part of how they are brought up playing the game in Australia, and it was part of a 'win at all costs' mentality. Anything they can do to put the other side off their game is fair to them.

Maybe that's one reason they have been so successful though, so I guess it does work. I think I'd prefer to play the game though the way it was meant to be played, and if England dominated cricket and decimated all before them for the next 20 years by playing and acting the way the Australians do, I wouldn't be particularly happy, and I'd rather play fair and lose than win and be hated for the way we had won..(I think?!)

Yeah, this is something I really don't like to see. One thing is that a team has talented players, and that can win, other thing is the way they behave on the matches, and also their speech outside the pitch. It's a shame really, but that's just how it goes.

There's nothing wrong with having a bit of humility. Fair enough, every sportsman needs that hunger, desire and will to win, but there's a standard that you need to set yourself, and  for me Australia lack that trait to be able to do that. They do see that winning is the be all and end all, and when they win they have no issue with rubbing it in to their opponents faces.


If I was Australian then I might feel the same, and like I said before it seems to be that competitive spirit that they have that makes them a force to be reckoned with in most sports, but it's easy to see why other nations usually name Australia as the team they enjoy beating the most, and with the way they conduct themselves you can easily see why.

Its kind of mind games played by Australia. They do it almost in all series. I don't think someone need to take it that seriously. Yes it is not good for sportsman spirit but what can be done. Just ignore them and play it like game only.

Yeah, but one thing it is to have the competitive spirit, the will to win, and another thing like you mention @pwarbi, is not being humble. That sort of posture can easily escalate to lack of fair play or even violence, something no one wants to see in the world of sports.