Leeds [UK], June 20 : Former captain Nasser Hussain handpicked Virat Kohli's speech that he gave to his players in a hurdle during the final day at Lord's as the moment between India and England Test rivalry that has stuck with him.
The moment that Hussain is referring to is India's tour of England in 2021. It was the final day of the second Test at the 'Home of Cricket', Lord's, and England was in pursuit of a 272-run target with 60 overs left. During the hurdle, Virat delivered a passionate speech, and his famous words still live rent-free in the hearts of cricket fans: "For 60 overs, they should feel hell."
India pacers Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj, and Ishant Sharma breathed fire and left England batters bamboozled to wrap up the game in the final hour of the Test with a 151-run triumph.
"I was asked about my favourite India-England moment, historically. There have been so many. It may have not been my favourite, but it is the one that stuck with me the most. In the hurdle that last morning at Lord's when England were trying to chase the score, he was in the hurdle pointing at every Indian player telling them to unleash hell on that England batting lineup for 60 overs," Hussain said on Sky Sports.
"That is what his side did. That side became the mirror image of Virat's character. Test match cricket is so much better when Kohli was playing. We will move on. We moved from Gavaskar to Tendulkar to Kohli and maybe to Gill. But Kohli added so much to this game," he added.
Virat penned a heartfelt note on social media and pulled the curtain down on his 14-year-long Test career last month. As a result, he missed India's ongoing tour of England. After his decision, he returned to on-field action for Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
He steered Bengaluru to their maiden IPL title, and after the famous triumph, he emphasised the importance of the Test format and said, "So I would just urge the youngsters coming through to treat that format with respect. Because if you perform in Test cricket, you walk around anywhere in the world, people look you in the eye and shake your hand and say, well done, you played the game really well. So if you want to earn respect in World cricket all over, take up Test cricket, give your heart and soul to it."
Nasser reflected on Virat's statement and said, "I mean, it was great to see what he said when he won the IPL about Test cricket. What he told the next generation that is the way you make your name in Test match cricket."