Overview
- Former India coach Ravi Shastri told Kohli's One8 podcast that he physically restrained Virat Kohli to stop him from confronting Mitchell Johnson after a heated exchange at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
- Shastri said the episode grew out of Johnson's aggressive bowling early in an innings, including hitting Kohli on the head, which fuelled tensions between the two players.
- Shastri described pulling Kohli back into the dressing room and urging him to 'focus on your batting' to prevent a fight and to refocus his intensity on the game.
- The moment is placed inside Kohli's breakout 2014-15 Border-Gavaskar tour of Australia, when he scored 692 runs in four Tests and produced several centuries under hostile bowling and crowds.
- Indian outlets treat the podcast anecdote as a corroborated first‑hand recollection that helps explain Kohli's combative on-field style and links to recent verbal exchanges with Australian players rather than signaling any new disciplinary action.