Lovely Gesture By Virat Kohli, Says Steve Smith About Indian Skipper Asking Fans Not To Boo Him

Virat Kohli has always been seen as a brash and in-your-face cricketer who refuses to give an inch. Which is largely true, but the Indian captain also keeps respect to his rivals, win or loss. One such case was when Virat Kohli gestured to Indian fans to stop booing former Australian skipper Steve Smith when the two teams met for their World Cup 2019 clash at the Kennington Oval on June 9. The fans were booing Steve Smith, who has just returned to the Australian team after serving a one-year ban for ball-tampering, and Kohli, who was batting, made gestures to them to stop booing the Australian.

Smith has said that it was a lovely gesture from the Indian captain.

"It was a lovely gesture by Virat. It doesn't really bother me what the crowds do to be perfectly honest. I am just blocking it all out but it was a lovely gesture from him" Smith was quoted as saying by the Syndey Morning Herald on Monday.

Speaking about it in the post-match press conference, Kohli apologised to Smith on behalf of the Indian crowd.

"Just because there are so many Indian fans here, I just didn't want them to set a bad example, to be honest, because he didn't do anything to be booed in my opinion," the 30-year-old said.

"He's (Smith) just playing cricket. He was just standing there, and I felt bad because if I was in a position where something had happened with me and I had apologised, I accepted it and I came back and still I would get booed, I wouldn't like it either.

"So I just felt for him, and I told him, I'm sorry on behalf of the crowd because I've seen that happen in a few earlier games, as well, and in my opinion that's not acceptable," Kohli added.

Smith and David Warner have been repeatedly heckled on the field since their return to the Australian team following their one-year bans over the Newlands ball-tampering incident.

However, Kohli said he felt for Smith in his current circumstance.

"Look, I think what's happened has happened like long back, the guy is back, he's trying to play well for his side. Even in the IPL I saw him, it's not good to see someone down like that, to be honest. We've had issues in the past. We've had a few arguments on the field. But you don't want to see a guy feeling that heat every time he goes out to play."

"What's happened has happened. Everyone has known that. He's come back. He's worked hard. He's playing well for his side now," he added.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Australia Cricket Team Ben Stevens Steve Smith Virat Kohli World Cup 2019 India vs Australia, Match 14 Cricket