On Sunday, Virat Kohli returned to international cricket for the first time since March. The last time he took the cricket field was when India won the ICC Champions Trophy in Dubai.
His return came during the first ODI between India and Australia at the Optus Stadium in Perth, where he also had scored a century during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024/25 Test series.
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While all eyes were on him during his return for the Men in Blue, Kohli failed to deliver. He was dismissed for an eight-ball duck while chasing a delivery outside the off stump against Mitchell Starc.
Despite a duck in the first ODI, Kohli boasts a great record in Australia across formats. Before the game, he revealed that he enjoyed playing in Australia and shared a conversation with former England cricketer Kevin Pietersen about the seemingly intimidating Aussie crowd.
Virat Kohli reveals Pietersen's insights on touring Australia
Ahead of the first ODI, Kohli sat with Adam Gilchrist and Ravi Shastri for Fox Sports and spoke on a variety of topics upon his return to the India blues.
Kohli, who's been at the end of a charged Australian crowd early in his career, has previously shared that the fans' jeers only helped elevate his performances.
However, the Indian star feels those experiences have only shaped him to become a better player in his cricket career.
But that's not just limited to him, Kohli revealed Pietersen shared a similar experience with that, saying the Aussie crowd give respect to opposing players who show guts to stand up and perform against the,.
"I didn’t understand it initially, to be honest. But guys like Kevin Pietersen, who copped it before, told me something about Australia that you feel like they are at you the whole time, but at the back of their minds and hearts they really appreciate that you are standing up and playing that kind of cricket," Kohli said.
The former England batter had scored 1144 Test runs in 26 Test innings in Australia, including a knock of 227 runs in the 2010/11 Ashes. He also scored 285 ODI runs in 9 innings, which notably earned him a lot of credit down under.
He shared the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) dressing room with Kohli in the first three seasons of the IPL, imparting his wisdom in their time together.
Pietersen is now a pundit who often appears to commentate at the IPL and in matches involving England.
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"Even the Australian set-up, how they played their cricket and how they were in your face all the time, intimidating and taking the game on, that was something that really inspired me to come here and do the same."
"Early on, I found it was easier to watch on television than be part of that hostile environment, but I am really grateful to all those times because that shaped me as a cricketer and as a person as well," Kohli added.
He went on to speak about watching the early morning Tests in Australia and how Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, and Virender Sehwag inspired him as a youngster.
How has Kohli performed in Australia?
| Format | Innings | Runs | Avg/SR | Highest | 50/100 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tests | 34 | 1542 | 46.72/52.44 | 169 | 4/7 |
| ODIs | 30 | 1327 | 49.14/88.58 | 133* | 6/5 |
| T20Is | 16 | 747 | 74.70/141.20 | 90* | 9/0 |