'What a joke!' - Twitter comes up with mixed reactions after Virat Kohli wins ICC Spirit of Cricket award
Smith is one of Kohli's fiercest rivals but the Indian skipper won the hearts of the cricket universe with his gesture at the Oval.
The International Cricket Council is awarding the best performers of the year 2019 with the ICC awards and Rohit Sharma won the ODI Cricketer of the year award for his incredible performances in the 50-overs format. While Virat Kohli missed out on that award, the Indian captain won the Spirit of Cricket award for his heart-touching gesture after the fans were booing Steve Smith at the Oval.
Virat Kohli is known for being a hot-headed guy who loses his cool every now and then. Though the Indian skipper has worked on his patience levels, he does not back off when any opposition player tries to sledge him. The best example of this was witnessed during the India vs West Indies series where Kohli completely killed the confidence of Kesrick Williams by mimicking his ‘notebook’ celebration.
Virat Kohli wins ICC Spirit of Cricket Award for his on-field gesture
It was during the group stage match between India and Australia where the English fans started booing Australian batsman Steve Smith when he was fielding for his team. The fans were angry with Smith because of his involvement in the infamous ball-tampering scandal. The former Australian captain was making his return to international cricket after serving the suspension but the fans showed no respect to him.
Virat Kohli, however, had opined that the players should be given another chance to perform because at the end of the day, all are human beings and they can commit mistakes. So, while he was batting in the middle, he asked the fans not to boo Smith and instead cheer for him as he was making a return to international cricket.
Smith is one of Virat Kohli’s fiercest rivals but the Indian skipper won the hearts of the cricket universe with his gesture at the Oval. India had later won that match and added 2 points to their kitty. Both India and Australia had crashed out of the semifinals of that World Cup. Currently, they are playing a 3-match ODI series where Australia has taken a 1-0 lead.
Here’s how Twitter reacted to Virat Kohli winning the award:
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