"Isko Main Itna Maarunga...": Virat Kohli Recalls Bitter Rivalry With Australia Pacer

Digital Desk: Virat Kohli will always remember India's Test series against Australia of 2014–15. Along with being an outstanding batsman in Australia, he took charge as India's Test captain for the duration of the tour, taking the place of the legendary MS Dhoni. With 692 runs to his credit in the four-match Test series, Kohli was the Indian team's leading scorer, trailing only Australia's Steve Smith (769). In the opening two innings of the first Test match at Adelaide Oval, Kohli scored a century each. While Kohli was unable to repeat his heroics in the subsequent game at The Gabba in Brisbane, he still made a strong return, scoring hundreds in both Melbourne and Sydney during the third and final Test matches that followed.

A video of Kohli recalling the series and his battle with Australia's pace leader Mitchell Johnson is making the rounds on social media.

"Johnson struck me in the head with his first ball in the opening game of the tour. At first, it was complete disbelief back then. I had been picturing my style of play for the past sixty days, but after that blow, everything changed drastically. t was a heavy blow and my vision started dropping as my left eye started swelling, but I did not notice it back then," Virat Kohli was heard saying in the viral video.

"And what happened at lunch was that, these are the things I feel thankful for, there were basically two options, fight or flight. And my reaction was obviously one that went, how dare he hit me on the head?

"Mene kaha isko mein itna maarunga iss series mein (I said I'll smack him around in the series and that is what I did," Kohli revealed.

In the Indian team's first game without Dhoni, Kohli stepped in as captain; Dhoni returned for the team's second and third games. After that, Dhoni announced his retirement from the format, and starting with the fourth Test match against Australia, Kohli was named India's full-time captain.