The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Cold vibes: Smith apologises, but Kohli is in no mood to forgive
COLLISION COURSE
IN A backslapping chat with Glenn Maxwell recorded last year, Virat Kohli opens up about his “friendly banters” with Aussie players. Flashingahugesmile,kohliusessugaryadjectivessuchas“sweet”and“awonderfulhuman being”forafewofthemwhilemaxwelltheinterviewer grins. The chemistry between the two is striking.
Maxwell proceeds to extol the virtues of the IPL in that it brings players from different countries together. “It helps us to do what we are doing now (bonding),” Kohli gives his two cents.“youformperceptionswithoutknowing people, and the IPL helps you lift those boundaries and you can be friends with people whom you play against as well. It makes people more fond of each other, and helps create strong bonds. (But) still people are competitive against each other.”
Maxwell chimes in: “Correct. And... that's the white line fever...as soon as you cross that whiteline,youarestillgoinghardateachother, but there is still that respect off the field as well.”
Revisiting that video (goo.gl/wg2rxu) on Tuesday left one with a strange feeling. It was like watching the mushy, romantic bits of a movieyouknowdoesn’thaveahappyending. For at the press conference after the Indian team won the bitterly fought series 2-1 on Tuesday,viratkohlimadeclearthathisfriendship with the Australian players, as a result of the bickering that marred the contests, was over. For good.
“No,ithaschanged,”herepliedcurtlywhen an Australian journalist asked him if his preseries statement that he was “good friends with all these guys” was still valid. “I thought that was the case, but it has changed for sure. Asisaid,intheheatofthebattleyouwanttobe competitive but I’ve been proven wrong.the thing I said before the first Test, that has certainlychangedandyouwon’thearmesaythat ever again,” Kohli added matter-of-factly. It had been that kind of a series. Intense. Too intense, perhaps. Words flew, as did abuses. Accusations were hurled and counteraccusations hurled back. The white line fever didn’t remain confined to the white line and spilled over into the press conference room. In Bangalore, Kohli stopped short of calling Steve Smith a “cheat”. In Dharamsala, Smith was seen calling Murali Vijay a “f**king cheat”. The broadcaster fanned the shoulder controversy. The boards also jumped in. Something had to snap. While it has been good television, the mutual off-field bonhomie appeared to have been the victim.
Forsome,kohli’sreactionseemedabitover the top. “Why does Virat Kohli always take it personally” was the question on the lips of journalists from both sides [and there are, indeed, sides in the supposedly neutral press box]. It seemed even more not-statesmanlike asminutesbefore,inthepreviouspressconference, Smith seemed to bury the hatchet with an apology. “I have sort of been very intense in myownlittlebubbleandattimesihaveletmy emotions and actions just falter a little bit throughoutthisseriesandiapologiseforthat,” said Smith. To be fair to Kohli, he wasn’t aware of Smith’s public statement. However, it doesn’t mean Kohli would’ve accepted it and changedhisstance.sowhydoeshetakeitpersonally? Because that’s Kohli’s style: it’s never businessforhimandalwayspersonal.perhaps that is why he is where he is. It was heartening to see Smith apologise, but because of that moraljudgmentsshouldn’tbepassedonkohli. The “White Line Fever” that Maxwell talks about is an Australian phrase. It essentially means be aggressive against your opponents on the field, but calm down and have a beer with them off it. But why should Kohli be judged by those Australian standards? Even the much-talked about Australian way is a stereotype. In the Dharamsala Test, a Maxwell shothitcheteshwarpujaraatshort-leg.heprofusely apologised to Pujara, his former Kings XI Punjab mate, and hugged him.
There is no reason to believe that Kohli’s approach, despite the air of permanence he sought to give at the presser, won’t change. India and Australia fought an even more rancorousbattlein2008.theygraduallymadeup. And, yes, IPL did help heal the scars.