5 Instances when teams regretted sledging opposition players

Cricketers have tried everything in the book to gain the upper hand against their opposition since the inception of the game. Some teams try to be aggressive with the ball or bat, and on the other hand, some teams use deceitful words as a psychological ploy to deter their rivals.

The cricketing world is largely divided on sledging in the game, as some believe it keeps the spark of competitiveness alive, while others feel it should be thrown out of the game altogether. Teams or players indulge in sledging to put pressure on the opposition batters or the bowlers, and it often works well, but sometimes it backfires horribly and makes for entertaining viewing.

We look at such instances when the players sledging, had to eat their own words and were left embarrassed by their opponents.

5. Virat Kohli ignites a fire in Jonny Bairstow, 2022

Edgbaston hosted the rescheduled fifth Test between England and India on July 1st, 2022. India posted a total of 416 runs on the board after centuries from Rishabh Pant and Ravindra Jadeja. England were struggling in their reply as half their side were back in the hut at the score of 83 on the second day.

The Indian bowlers were on top of Jonny Bairstow as he struggled to make decent connections with the ball. That is when former Indian skipper Virat Kohli had a word with Bairstow. Apparently, the Indian batter remarked that Bairstow was seeing everything else apart from the ball.

The Yorkshireman, who was struggling up until that point, was fired up by Kohli’s words and launched a scathing assault on the Indian bowlers as he notched up a glorious century in the innings. Bairstow compounded India’s misery in the second innings with another trailblazing ton to guide England to victory in the Test.