'Pant banwa diya bewajah sledge karke' - Virender Sehwag feels Virat Kohli provoked Jonny Bairstow

Former Indian batter Virender Sehwag has slammed Virat Kohli for sledging Jonny Bairstow, who went on to hit a century on day three. The English batter smashed Indian bowlers to score a third consecutive hundred and Sehwag has compared his change in approach to Indian batters Cheteshwar Pujara and Rishabh Pant.

Bairstow was struggling at one stage scoring only 16 runs off 65 deliveries but soon he took on the Indian bowling attack nonchalantly. He smashed quick runs before getting out on 106 off 140 deliveries with 14 fours and a couple of sixes to his name. Thanks to his knock, England could reach 284 runs in the first innings before getting bowled out.

Sehwag pointed out the sledging from Kohli as a result of Bairstow’s blistering knock in his tweet. “Jonny Bairstow’s Strike Rate before Kohli’s Sledging – 21, Post Sledging – 150. Pujara ki tarah khel rahe thhey, Kohli ne Pant banwa diya bewajah sledge karke” – Virender Sehwag wrote on his Twitter account.

Jonny Bairstow's Strike Rate before Kohli's Sledging -: 21
Post Sledging – 150

Pujara ki tarah khel rahe thhey, Kohli ne Pant banwa diya bewajah sledge karke #IndvsEng

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) July 3, 2022

Bairstow remained unbeaten on 12 runs off just 47 balls at the end of day two play at Edgbaston. The English batter seemed concentrated on his batting with no risky shots on day three as well. But Kohli, always vocal on the pitch, tried to break Bairtows’s patience by sledging the player unnecessarily when he missed a ball on Mohammed Shami’s delivery. Both the players were involved in heated exchange for a considerable time and umpires had to intervene.

Bairstow smashed 394 runs in the New Zealand Test series

The 32-year-old batter had scored 394 runs at a strike rate of 120.12 against New Zealand in the recently won Test series. England’s new approach of playing attacking cricket in red-ball cricket made them favorites to win the fifth rescheduled Test match against India. But Indian bowlers were excellent to keep the English batters under the control. However, Kohli’s provocation changed Bairstow’s approach to the game and the player counter-attacked Indian bowlers to score his fifth century of this year. He was dismissed on 106 runs by Shami, and with Kohli taking the catch.

Kohli also tried to get on Bairstow’s nerve by saying, “Little bit faster than Southee, eh?”, on day two but the player had no reaction. The former Indian skipper has always been a little motivated with words, especially on overseas tours, and was spotted having a laugh with Bairstow and Stokes in the next over.