press trust of India
Melbourne, Dec 23: Taking his psychological warfare against India to the next level, Australia pacer Mitchell Johnson Tuesday fired his verbal missiles against Rohit Sharma.
The 33-year-old southpaw singled out Rohit as the chief aggressor of the group (India) against him during the second Test at Gabba last week and said that the batsman’s dismal form in the match only proved that his plan turned against him.
“I said a few words early and then just let it go after that and just started smiling at Rohit Sharma,” Johnson said.
“He seemed to come in a fair bit and had a fair bit to say. I don’t think he had the greatest game and I think maybe he was just a bit frustrated,” he said.
Australia were in trouble at 247 for six when Johnson came to the crease, still 161 runs behind India’s first-innings total of 408 when the close-in fielders tried to unsettle the burly pacer.
But Johnson asserted that verbal exchanges only made his resolve stronger as he and skipper Steve Smith stitched a 148-run partnership.
“It took my mind off the game, which was a good thing because I wasn’t focused on the scoreboard.”
