Virat Kohli and Steve Smith
Ahead of the first India-Australia Test match in Adelaide, Virat Kohli had a chat with Steve Smith on a variety of topics including the incident where the Indian skipper had asked the crowd to stop booing Smith. Last year, during the 2019 World Cup, Kohli was seen asking a section of the Indian fans present at the Oval stadium to stop hurling boos and taunts towards the former Aussie skipper.
Along with his heartfelt gesture, Kohli also apologised to Smith on behalf of the fans who were giving the Australian a hard time on the field. Smith, as well as David Warner, had been enduring a hostile reception since their return to the sport from the ball-tampering charges. Kohli, however, suggested his team's fans to applaud Smith, who was fielding in the deep.
In the interaction with Smith, Kohli recalled the incident and said that it's wrong to target someone personally. There's a human side to things as well, said the Indian skipper about his 'instinctive' act at the Oval.
"I feel like in life nothing can be that permanent that you carry it on for life," said Kohli in the clip shared by Cricket Australia. His 'class' gesture had also won him the ICC 'Spirit of Cricket' accolade. Smith also thanked Kohli and revealed how he had sent him a message after the match for the kind gesture.
"People make mistakes and they learn from it and I felt like it's not fair to target an individual personally, that's what I felt at that moment. Instinctively I told them not to boo you because you were fielding there (on the boundary) for quite a bit.
"As much as you play against each other there's a human side to things as well and at the end of the day we're here chatting now, we do have a chat a few times during the IPL as well.
"Yes, you're competitive on the field but you don't want to go nasty as such. Long term you do realise the importance of things from a larger perspective and I felt that wasn't right to do that at that moment," Kohli further said.
