Skipper Virat Kohli urging the Indian fans not to boo Steve Smith during the World Cup match against Australia at The Oval was one of the most heart-warming moments of the 2019 edition.
In the build-up to the Test series that begins in Adelaide on Thursday, Kohli and Smith were involved in a 30-minute chat. The Australian batsman asked Kohli: “What prompted you to approach the Indian crowd and ask them to stop booing me when we played our World Cup match?”
“To me, an incident happened and you guys realised what had happened. You came back after a long time, having gone through everything that you had to,” replied Kohli, referring to Smith coming back after serving a one-year ban following the ball-tampering scandal during Australia’s tour of South Africa in 2018 when he was the captain.
“In life, nothing can be that permanent you carry it for life. People make mistakes and learn from it. I felt it was not fair to target an individual personally. As much as we play against each other, there is a human side to things as well,” said Kohli.
Thanking the Indian skipper, Smith said, “I treasured that. Remember, I sent you a message that night, saying it was top class.”
Kohli’s gesture earned him the 2019 ICC Spirit of Cricket Award.
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