July 02, 2022, the Day 2 of the fifth test match between England and India at Edgbaston in Birmingham, England we see Virat Kohli and Jonny Bairstow like two young IPL lads sharing a joke with hands over the others shoulder.
With England in the dumps with India’s performance of first innings total of 416, the pressure was mounting on England. On the first session of Day 3 of the Test, with England batting at 97 for 5(trailing India by 319) – Bairstow 13(61) and Stoke 11(16) – a heated argument arose between Jonny Bairstow of England and Virat Kohli of India. However, it all settled down with the empires Aleem Dar and Richard Kettle borough jumping in and bringing the exchange to an end. Bairstow then ended the day with a stunning century, his 11th is Test and third consecutive hundred this series. This breathed some life into the game.
Like two seasoned professionals they sorted their altercation with Kohli giving a friendly punch on Bairstow’s shoulder. At the end of the day’s play, speaking to Sky Sports Cricket, Bairstow played it down as an old-fashioned battle of words with Virat Kohli.
At the press conference too when Bairstow was questioned over the incident, he explained saying:
“We’re very lucky to be out there playing because that’s why we play the game, isn’t it? Two very competitive people out on the field doing what they love. And that’s why we play the game. You’ve got 11 guys on each side that are very passionate to do so well for their country.”
“And yeah, look, its passion, it’s what you play for … So, I hope that clears it up but, look, it was a great crack out there, and to be playing against a fantastic team in India is, is always going to be tough. And like I said, you’ve got to absorb those tough periods of time and try and shift and wrestle momentum back at others,”
Cricket is a game of passion with everyone wanting to make their nation proud. It is also a game of character and emotions, and it brings the best or worst out of a person. Some bring out sportsmanship and other gamesmanship. Gamesmanship is just about victory, but Sportsmanship is the HONOURABLE pursuit of victory. Let’s hope the latter is always pursued.
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