Not taking out banner to tell the world who I am, says Virat Kohli on eve of third Test

His public gestures have been a reason for a deep polarisation. While there are people who think he overdoes with his action on the ground, others feel that it is something that comes naturally to him and he should stick to it. But whatever way the world perceives him, Indian captain Virat Kohli is least bothered to clarify things to anybody. Ahead of the crucial Test against Australia in Melbourne, the 30-year-old ace cricketer said his focus is on only winning the game at the moment and not anything else.

Kohli came under criticism, even from some of India’s former players, for his on-field conduct during the second Test match in Perth which India lost by 146 runs. Kohli was seen involved with verbal exchanges with his Australian counterpart Tim Paine and even though they were more about banters, one of the on-field umpires had to step in to ask both the leaders to calm down and get on with the game. The Indian captain also said ahead of the third Test that neither he nor Paine would want to do something unnecessary in the next game and focus instead on leading their respective teams.

But Kohli is also not apologetic about his perceived image. “What I do or how I think, I am not going to take a banner outside to the world and explain that this is who I am and you need to like me or stuff like that. These are things that happen on the outside,” the Indian captain told the media on the eve of the Melbourne Test.

‘My focus is on the Test match’

“I have no control over that. It’s an individual choice. What you want to focus on. My focus is on the Test match, winning the Test match and doing well for the team. That’s all it is.” Kohli also said that everybody is entitled to his or her opinion and he has a complete respect for that.

Kohli had hit 169 the last time India played Australia in a Test match in Melbourne which was in 2014. It was also the last Test for Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the captain and player in the longer format.

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