‘You must develop the ability to be disliked’ - Virat Kohli posts cryptic message following failure in first innings of WTC final

Day 2 of the World Test Championship final (WTC) 2023 saw the Indian team bowl Australia out for a mammoth 469 runs in the first innings. Coming into bat, the Rohit Sharma-led side got off to the worst of starts as Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma were dismissed quite early into the first innings.

However, as the onus fell on the shoulders of Cheteshwar Pujara and ace batter Virat Kohli, both star players failed to make an impact on the game as well. Pujara and Kohli were both dismissed for 14 runs as team India’s woes piled on Day 2.

Furthermore, Kohli’s day went from bad to worse after the star batter was captured having a meal and a chat with fellow teammates in the dugout. The viral picture saw the 34-year-old cop plenty of scrutiny from netizens across various social media platforms. 

As a probable reaction to the negative reception, Kohli took to his Instagram story and posted a cryptic message. Posting a quote by American author Mark Manson, the quote read, "You must develop the ability to be disliked in order to free yourself from the prison of other people’s opinion."

India manage to score 151 runs at the end of Day 2

Australia followed up their exceptional performance with the bat, with a just as impressive showing with the ball. The Pat Cummins-led side came in all guns blazing against India as the batting attack of the side crumbled under the relentless pressure from the Aussie bowling line-up. 

Veteran Indian all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja did play a resilient knock under pressure. The 34-year-old scored 48 runs in 51 deliveries, however, he fell prey to Nathan Lyon. By the time Day 2 drew to a close, India had managed to amass 151 runs at the loss of five wickets with Ajinkya Rahane and KS Bharat still in the middle.