Happy to shake hand with Kohli: Nathan Lyon

Australian off-spinner Nathan Lyon said on Friday (April 14) that he would like to share a drink with the Indian Skipper Virat Kohli off the field and whatever issues held during the test series must be left behind the boundary rope.

India won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy (2-1) against Australia with a lot of acrimony on and off the field. During the second test match, Aussie skipper Steve Smith looked towards the dressing room for help in the DRS review system which marked the biggest controversy of the 4 match Test series. Smith labeled it as a ‘brainfade’ and Kohli criticized him. After that Nathan Lyon had referred Kohli as the “Head of the snake” and even Kohli replied to Lyons comment in the Post-match press conference.

But right now Lyon said that ” I am the type of guy who will play hard on the field and compete very hard but I am more than happy to talk to anyone off the field”. He also added that ” I am more than happy to shake his hand and say hello to him, that is for sure. There is no harm in being nice”. “As I said, in the heat of the battle you want to be competitive but I’ve been proven wrong. The thing I said before the first Test, that has certainly changed and you won’t hear me say that ever again.”

Lyon, however, joked that ” I don’t think Virat will give me a Christmas card though”. He also described Kohli as a ‘’World Class Player’’ and also added that he is known for getting “quite emotional”.

He also stated that, while the “country kid” in him ensured he had good manners and was nice to everyone, he didn’t expect rival cricketers to reciprocate. Nathan Lyon became the youngest Australian spinner to reach 100 Test Wickets at 26.