Former Australian batter Joe Burns revealed how sledging Virat Kohli backfired on him in the 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar Trophy down under. The game in question was the third Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) with Australia leading the four-match series 2-0.Batting first, the hosts posted a massive 530 in their first innings. India got off to a solid start in response, moving to 108/2 when Kohli walked out to bat. The champion batter was in red-hot form, having scored two centuries in the four previous innings in the series.In an interview with Crictracker, Burns recalled his verbal exchange with Kohli, saying:"In my first game, first Test match at the MCG on Boxing Day, I was 24. And first game, I was fielding at Bat Pad. And I'm pretty sure Virat made 100 that day. But there was a little bit of chirp going on. Not sledging, just obviously we got Hadzi behind the stumps, and Watto was at first slip. Nathan Lyon was bowling, so I'm in close. I think it'd been four hours. I hadn't said a word. I think I said one line. I think I said to him, Virat, you got to play some shots."Burns continued:"He stopped the bowler, stopped Nathan Lyon, turned to me and said, ‘You don't talk, rookie’. Next ball faced up, smacked it through covers. It was very embarrassing for me. I didn't say a word the next four days after that, but it showed me that Virat was not someone to mess with. And I think as a 24-year-old débutant at Bat Pad, it wasn't really the person or in the place to be saying anything to Virat at that point."Virat Kohli scored his third century of the series in that innings, finishing on 169 from 272 deliveries to help India amass 465 in their first essay. The match eventually ended in a draw on a benign MCG wicket."Virat Kohli doesn't take a backward step" - Joe BurnsJoe Burns praised Virat Kohli for setting Indian cricket's identity and his competitive drive at all times. The former Indian captain retired from Tests in May, finishing his stellar red-ball career with 9,230 runs and 30 centuries in 123 games.Kohli also stepped away from T20Is after India's triumph in the 2024 World Cup in the West Indies and the USA."Virat Kohli doesn't take a backward step. As I said before, he really shaped that team's identity. I think even now that he's not in the team, you can see that the way that India play, it's really shaped on, I guess, the foundations that Virat put in place over a number of years. He's always a really fierce competitor. I tried not to look at him on the field," said Burns.He concluded:"I didn't want to engage with him because I knew that that really spurred him on. And I guess you factor in the fact that he's a world-class batter, one of the greatest of all time. It's a great combination. And like I said, it really set the identity for the Indian cricket team."Virat Kohli was last seen on the field in IPL 2025, where his franchise, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), clinched their maiden title.