'So sorry, please don't ban me' - When Virat Kohli pleaded the match referee to not ban him

Virat Kohli is one such player who brings in a lot of passion and aggression onto the 22 yards. He is renowned for the electrifying energy he exudes on the ground to keep the team and himself motivated. Though Kohli has now gone on to be considered as one of the greatest batters around the world, he has had his own shares of ebbs and flows.

The India tour of Australia in 2011-12 is one of the highlights of Kohli’s Test career. Before cementing his place in the Indian side, a junior Test player back then, Kohli was often benched after his debut. In this Test series, however, skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni backed Kohli right from the first match. Dhoni, who is known for backing players and not making many changes in the side, kept Kohli in the XI of the third Test despite his below-par performance.

Though Kohli had the support of Dhoni, his participation in the third Test became doubtful considering his on-field behavior in the Sydney Test match. Australia is one such a side that is considered as the chin-up chest-out variety of mankind. The fans too never leave an opportunity to pump the players by cheering loud. Reacting to the crowd who seemed to be teasing Kohli while he was at the boundary line, the batter showed his middle finger to them which made headlines.

Kohli pleaded the match referee to not ban him

Virat Kohli has evolved his game over the years and has emerged as one of the best to grace the ground. He is often seen praising his opponents and also giving it back to them as and when needed. Thus, Kohli opened up about his conversation with the match referee where he pleaded him to not ban him.

“The match referee [Ranjan Madugalle] called me to his room the next day and I’m like, ‘What’s wrong?’. He said, ‘What happened at the boundary yesterday?’. I said, ‘Nothing, it was a bit of banter’. Then he threw the newspaper in front of me and there was this big image of me flicking on the front page and I said, ‘I’m so sorry, please don’t ban me!’. I got away with that one. He was a nice guy, he understood I was young and these things happen.” Kohli had said as reported by Times Now.