I apologized to Steve Smith on behalf of Indian crowd: Virat Kohli
Kohli didn't want the Indian crowd to set the bad example.
As Steve Smith walked to the boundary at the Vauxhall End at The Oval in London, a churlish Indian contingent in the stands greeted him with boos. The fans referred to him as a ‘cheater’ with relation to the ball-tampering incident. While Smith has been a regular victim of boos from the crowd in recent times, that coming from the Indian fans was a bitter pill to swallow for skipper Virat Kohli.
The 30-year-old, at that point in time, was batting out in the middle. The cheers were loud enough to reach Virat. Immediately, he decided to take an action and moved in the direction of that part of the ground in between overs. As a part of a wonderful gesture, an angry Virat Kohli signalled at the fans not to boo at his Australian crowd. Furthermore, he even asked them to clap for Steve Smith instead.
This heart-winning gesture, coming just a few days after Kagiso Rabada called him ‘immature‘, was loved by the Indian fans. Even Smith appreciated this gesture from Virat Kohli. He thanked the Indian skipper and the duo shared a wonderful sportsmanship moment.
With India fans giving Steve Smith a tough time fielding in the deep, Virat Kohli suggested they applaud the Australian instead. Absolute class #SpiritOfCricket#Cricket #LoveCricket #ViratKohli#Virat #SteveSmith #India #Australia#London #TheOval #INDvAUS”,” the official handle of ICC tweeted.
Didn’t want the Indian crowd to set a bad example
At the press conference after the match, one of the reporters asked Virat Kohli about this gesture. In reply, he told that Smith apologised and came back. He added that it’s was not to boo and said that he didn’t want the Indian crowd to set a bad example. Furthermore, Virat even informed that he apologised to Steve Smith on the behalf of the crowd.
“He has apologised, and come back. He has been down. It is not okay to boo & didn’t want Indian crowd to set a bad example. He doesn’t deserve to be booed. So I apologised to him on behalf of the crowd,” said Virat Kohli.
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