"I didn't understand it initially" - Virat Kohli's massive revelation on Australian crowd ahead of AUS vs IND 2025 1st ODI

Team India star Virat Kohli opened up on being caught off-guard by the magnitude of the Australian crowds at the start of his career, ahead of potentially his final tour down under. The 36-year-old has gone toe-to-toe with the Aussie players and the crowd throughout his stellar 17-year international career.

Despite the occasional struggles, Kohli has predominantly enjoyed incredible success across formats in Australia. The right-hander has scored 3,616 runs in Australia at an average of almost 52 with 12 centuries in 65 outings.

Talking about his love-hate history with the Aussie crowd ahead of the opening ODI at Perth, Kohli told Fox Cricket ( @Wxtreme10 X handle):

"I didn't understand it initially. Guys that I've played with like Kevin Pietersen, guys who've copped it before, before I had even started with all of this, he told me something about Australia. He said you'll feel like they are at you the whole time. But in the back of their mind and heart, they really appreciate you standing up and playing that kind of cricket. So don't take it personally, don't take it to heart."

He continued:

"If you just go out there and play competitive cricket, (A) you'll realise how good you can be as a cricketer, and (B) you'll realize over a long period of time that that really helped shape your whole make up and mental setup as a player. So I've nothing but gratitude for experiencing all those moments here."

Virat Kohli's return to Australia for the three-match ODI series hasn't been ideal as the veteran has just been dismissed for an eight-ball duck in the ongoing opening ODI in Perth.

"The crowd being at me regularly brought out the best from me" - Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli acknowledged that the Aussie crowd going at him brought out the best version of himself with the bat over the years. Batting heroics aside, the 36-year-old was also the first Indian captain to lead the side to a Test series win in Australia in 2018/19.

"The crowd being at me regularly brought out the best from me. And I had no option but to turn up and be 120% or there was no chance I was going to perform in this country and those hostile conditions. So I had really good times here as a cricketer," said Kohli (via the aforementioned source).

He concluded by complimenting the Australian people off the field, saying:

"And off the field, honestly people have been so relaxed and so respectful when I've not been competing. When you walk on the street and they see you, you can see the genuine smile on their faces and the words of appreciation that they come from a really good place."

Coming to the ongoing Perth ODI, India are struggling at 25/3 in the 10th over after Virat Kohli's early dismissal.