Aussie great Border defends 'character' Kohli after criticism barrage

Under fire: Virat Kohli (right) celebrates the dismissal of Travis Head in Perth with Mohammad Shami, but his on-field antics have been seen as 'over the top' by some

Melbourne (AFP) - Former Australia captain Allan Border has come to the defence of Virat Kohli, saying his antics might be over the top but the game needs more “characters” who show “passion”.

The Indian skipper has come under criticism for his sledging and heated exchanges with Australian counterpart Tim Paine during the tense second Test in Perth, which at one point needed the umpire to intervene.

Bowling great Mitchell Johnson also slammed Kohli for failing to acknowledge the crowd’s applause after he was controversially given out in the first innings for 123, and for his frosty handshake with Paine at the end of the game.

Kohli’s animated wicket celebrations have also been widely frowned upon while India legend Sunil Gavaskar hit out at his “selection blunders”.

And in a stunning rebuke, veteran Bollywood star Naseeruddin Shah described him as “not only the world’s best batsman but also the world’s worst behaved player”.

“Kohli’s cricketing brilliance pales beside his arrogance and bad manners,” added Shah on Facebook.

An opinion piece in the mass-circulation Hindustan Times Thursday said Shah had articulated what many Indian cricket fans had been thinking.

“Aggression on the field, in terms of play, is no bad thing. But unwarranted aggression in personal conduct goes by another term: loutishness,” it said.

“It is also, in Kohli’s case, exacerbated by a sense of arrogance that he exhibits.”

But Border leapt to the Indian Captain’s defence, saying the game needed players like Kohli.

“I haven’t seen anyone sort of carry on so much as a captain when his side takes a wicket,” he said in a Fox Sports podcast Thursday.

“It’s really over the top but it’s good in a way. You can see some passion about what he’s trying to do.

“There’s not many characters in our game at the moment,” Border added.

“The professional era has sort of beaten that out to a certain degree. It’s good to see guys with that passion, drive and a bit of character.”

Border, who played 156 Tests, including 93 as captain, said he believed Kohli was passionate by nature, but also motivated by a “quiet” squad and the desire to win India’s first ever series in Australia.

“To drive the team to be number one, which he’s achieved, but to win away from home is one of those important things you notice as a captain,” he said. “I think he’s feeling that pinch.”

The four Test series is tied 1-1 with the next one starting in Melbourne on Boxing Day.