Virat Kohli responds to Nathan Lyon's "head of the snake" comment

What’s the story?

As India defeated Australia by 75 runs in the 2^nd Test held at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bangalore earlier today, Virat Kohli left no holds barred in his post match conference as he took on the Australian side, speaking about Steve Smith’s controversial decision to look at the dressing room after getting out, and responding to Nathan Lyon’s “head of the snake” comment as well.

“A lot of people are talking about the head of the snake but the snake did pretty well by itself. It’s not just about one individual here, I'm pretty happy if they keep focussing on the head of the snake, but the snake can sting from a lot of directions here,” said Kohli in response to Lyon’s comments.

Extra Cover: Virat Kohli believes Steve Smith crossed a line with DRS incident

In case you didn’t know...

After dismissing Kohli in the first innings of the match, Lyon referred to him as the head of the snake in reference to how important his wicket was. After the first day’s play, Lyon spoke about how important it is to take Kohli’s wicket because he is one of the best players in the world.

He also went on to say that it was Kohli’s mistake which cost him his wicket in the first match and the first innings of the second match as well, but he expects Kohli to bounce back with the bat in the upcoming matches.

The heart of the matter

Sledging has been a part and parcel of the game whenever India and Australia take on each other and we witnessed a lot of sledging in the 2^nd Test as well. Kohli has never been one to hold back his words and this was evident in his post match conference after the win.

India, who were defending 187 in the final innings of the match produced an exceptional bowling display to bowl Australia out 75 runs short of the target. Ravichandran Ashwin came up with the goods as he took a 5 wicket haul for the 25^th time in his career. Umesh Yadav chipped in with two important wickets as well while Ravindra Jadeja and Ishant Sharma picked up one each.

What’s next?

The third Test will take place at Ranchi from March 16-20, while the fourth and final Test of the series will take place in Dharamsala from 25^th March.

Sportskeeda’s take

Kohli, who has never held back his words and has always spoken his mind, gave a befitting reply to Nathan Lyon regarding his “head of the snake” comments. The Indian captain was also not shy of venting out his frustration on Steve Smith’s wrongdoings. However, having said all this, the Indian cricket team must ensure that they keep their feet on the ground and produce a similar result in the 3^rd Test. Kohli should also focus on improving his batting and delivering the goods when the two teams face off at Ranchi.