Beware of Kohli’s shoulder bump during the Champions Trophy

By K.R. Nayar

It’s time Virat Kohli was officially designated as the "Angry Man" of Indian cricket. In Bollywood, we had Amitabh Bachchan, who was once called the "Angry Young Man," but now, at the age of 82, is affectionately known as "Big B." As Kohli approaches the twilight of his cricketing career, if he decides to follow his wife, Anushka Sharma, into Bollywood, he can adopt Bachchan’s shelved nickname.

Virat Kohli's shoulder bump act 

During the first day of the ongoing Melbourne Test, Kohli indulged in a shoulder bump and gave a menacing stare to Australian debutant and 19-year-old opener Sam Konstas, adding another feather to his "angry man" cap.  Kohli can claim that he was only helping the young debutant to progress into a good player as Konstas can tell others he has literally rubbed shoulders with a legend.

However, from now on, Konstas might think twice before getting too close to any legend to avoid a similar encounter.

My cricket-crazy friend, who plans to take his budding cricketer-son to the Champions Trophy matches in the UAE—especially the much-anticipated India-Pakistan clash—is worried. His concern is whether his son will witness Kohli will do a repeat act against one of the Pakistan batters and believe that he too could do the same during his inter school matches.

I reassured him saying that that’s unlikely to happen during the Champions Trophy. A driving school reportedly plans to fix a logo on Kohli’s sleeve emphasizing the importance of a "hard shoulder," which would make players naturally cautious around him.

An ardent Kohli fan said that his idol indulged in the shoulder bump because of his tattoo, which is now starting to react. Kohli has a tribal art tattoo on his right shoulder, symbolizing strength and aggression. In fact, Kohli supposedly plans to appeal to the ICC, suggesting that batters wear shoulder guards—similar to abdomen guards—while playing against India as long as he’s part of the team.

Another friend of mine from New Delhi was considering enrolling his son in the Kohli Cricket Academy, which the legend might start post-retirement. Concerned about Kohli’s temperament, he wonders if that would be a good idea. I assured him that it would be absolutely fine given that shoulder-strengthening exercises are likely be a part of the warm-up routine even before teaching batting techniques. The benefits are twofold: players can learn to take bouncers on the shoulder, and shoulder the responsibility of the team’s batting, much like Kohli has done over the years.

A regular reader of my column wanted to know whether teams participating in the Champions Trophy should take any precautions, considering Kohli’s presence in the Indian line-up. My reply was simple: “If any team plans to debut an under-19 cricketer, they should advise him not to walk too close to Kohli. Teams conducting video analysis should also include a special study of Kohli’s on-field tantrums.”

When Kohli smashed a chair .

The Champions Trophy organizers should ensure unbreakable chairs are placed on the pathway to the dressing room in case Kohli gets out early. In the 2021 IPL, he smashed a chair after being dismissed by Jason Holder. Since it was an unbreakable chair, he may not want to fail again in another attempt, and hence it will be ideal to have no chair on the way.  

Kohli smashes the water box during the series against New Zealand 

Similarly, during the 2024 series against New Zealand, Kohli smashed a water box in frustration after getting out. To avoid any repeat, it would be wise to ensure only small plastic bottles are placed along his route.

The public address system can begin with a mic check and then follow up with, 'Check, check —Kohli’s shoulder check!!’