Rajasthan Royals’ South African pacer Nandre Burger has rubbished the rumor and admitted that there was no sledging accident between him and Virat Kohli during the India vs South Africa Test series.
Nandre Burger and Virat Kohli had shared moments during Team India’s all-format tour of South Africa, in which the latter played only the two-match Test series. The series came soon after India lost to the Australians in the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in Ahmedabad.
What happened between Virat Kohli and Nandre Burger?
Most of the Indian team, except Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, visited South Africa a month earlier before the start of the Test series for the white-ball game. Nandre Burger was part of the Proteas team that lost the ODI series and drew the T20I series 1-1. Then both nations will meet in the longest format of the game as part of the 2023-25 ICC World Test Championship cycle.
Rohit Sharma’s men were particularly determined to win the Test series as no other Indian team had managed to do so. Aiming to break the final barrier in legendary South African opening batsman Dean Elgar’s final red-ball series, India lost the 1st Test by an innings and 32 runs.
With hopes of breaking the final barrier dashed, the Indians played the second Test to win and return home after leveling the series. The 2nd Test took place in Cape Town and Virat Kohli and Nandre Burger had some heated moments inside the 22 yards.
After getting rid of Rohit Sharma, Nandre Burger made an effort to get Virat Kohli out. In the follow-up to one of the deliveries, Burger threatened to hit the stumps as Kohli stood firmly in front. A heated argument ensued between the two, with the former captain of the Indian team only responding with a smile.
By the end of that day, the moment went viral on social media and became the most heated moment of the series. The 2nd Test match then eventually became the shortest Test match ever in terms of the number of balls bowled and the match ended in the 2nd session of Day 2.
After defeating the South Africans by scores of 55 and 176 and scoring 153 themselves in their first innings, India claimed victory by smashing the target of 79.
Burger says he would like to sled Virat Kohli
During a chat with Proteas and his RR teammate Donovan Ferreira, Nandre Burger was asked about the batsman he enjoys sledging with. To this, Burger said that he simply enjoys the competitive side of cricket and that the assumption that he had a sledding episode with Virat Kohli was wrong.
Burger revealed that there were only stare-downs but if he took part in sledging with Virat Kohli, he would enjoy it.
“I don’t think there’s any particular hitter that I enjoy sledding, I just think I like the competitive aspect of it. But I think during the India series people thought me and Virat had a little something, which we actually didn’t have there.” “There was no sledding, there was just stare-downs, but I think if I ever “If I get a little sledding fight with him, it would be quite fun and I think I will enjoy it,” said Nandre Burger about the Rajasthan Royal X-Handle.