Australia would be playing an ODI series in India, next month. (Source: AP)
Former Australian captain Michael Clarke believes that Indian captain skipper Virat Kohli is often misunderstood for his on-field reactions. Stating that he has enormous respect for the Indian skipper Clarke also revealed that Kohli has quite a fans in Australia as well.
Addressing the media, Clarke said, “I disagree that Virat doesn’t have too many fans in Australia. I think Virat has a lot of Australian spirit in him” and added, “To be honest, he plays the game really tough and is really competitive on the field, but he is a nice guy off the field. So when people get to know Virat, they realize that what they see on the field is just his competitive spirit. I can’t think of any Australian cricketer who wasn’t like that every time we walked out on the field. I certainly think there is respect for Virat in Australia.”
Speaking on how the Australian media views him, Clarke said, “You probably are not going to read the positive stuff (about Virat) in the Australian media though. They all want to write a negative story. But I have a great relationship with him and I think he is respectful.”
Meanwhile, with the end of pay dispute controversy, Clarke believes that the focus is now on cricket. Expressing delight, he said, “It is fantastic that the deal has been done and everybody can focus on cricket. Australia will be traveling to Bangladesh very soon and then we come to India and then the Ashes, so it is wonderful that the game can now move forward. The players can focus on what they do the best – playing – and the administrators can do their job too. I think everybody is sick and tired of talking about it and very happy that it’s over.”
However, Clarke refrained from taking any sides and said, “I don’t need to take sides. There have been compromises from both the parties, but now I am glad the focus is back on cricket.”
