England fast bowler Ollie Robinson has been in the news lately for his on-field aggression during the Ashes Test against Australia. Robinson has been known to speak his mind and has taken potshots at Australian stalwart Ricky Ponting. However, a two-year-old video of Robinson being sledged by Virat Kohli during the 2021 tour of England has resurfaced on social media.
On the final day of the Lords Test, India had England reeling at 90/7, with Robinson at the crease. Mohammed Siraj was on a hat-trick, and Kohli decided to get under Robinson’s skin by commenting on his boring innings. Kohli went on to call Robinson a big mouth, asking him to bring his ‘sheets’ on.
Siraj was also fired up and bowled a length delivery that rose sharply as it reached Robinson before mouthing a few words himself. The tempers eventually settled down as the game progressed.
Robinson, however, made up for his poor performance with the bat with a brilliant show in the first Ashes Test against Australia. He and Stuart Broad gave it their all to prevent the Aussie side from reaching their destination. However, skipper Pat Cummins proved too good on the day, and Australia won the match by two wickets. England would be eager to come back strongly in the second Test at Lord’s to level the five-match series.
Several veteran Australian cricket personalities, including Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer, have advised Robinson to let his performances speak for him and not get too ahead of himself with his talking. Robinson has also been criticized for his on-field aggression lately.
The resurfacing of the Kohli-Robinson sledging incident has created a buzz on social media and has once again highlighted the importance of maintaining a balance between on-field aggression and sportsmanship.
