It’s time to move on: Kohli

Ranchi, March 15: Virat Kohli does not regret his showdown with Steve Smith over DRS but the Indian skipper on Wednesday said he has decided to bury the hatchet and focus on the third cricket Test against Australia starting here on Thursday.

Kohli, who had stopped short of calling Smith ‘cheat’ after their dramatic 75-run win against Australia in Bengaluru, was flooded with questions on the DRS controversy but Kohli had only one answer: Time to focus on cricket.

“A lot has been given into the incident. It’s time we focused on the remainder of the series. There’s a lot of cricket to be played and it should not happen in bad taste. What’s happened in Bengaluru happened in Bengaluru, we are in Ranchi and we should look forward to tomorrow,” Kohli said.

“Both teams have moved ahead from Bengaluru. I think the focus should get back on the series because the priority is here cricket. All other things happen in the background, we understand that as cricketers.”

“See, I think about what I say. I don’t regret anything that I’ve said. But at the same time, it’s very important not to be stupid and go on with the same thing on a daily basis because there’s cricket to be played,” he said.

“There was a decent break in between. We certainly don’t want to sit and think about one issue all the time. We have two test matches to play and that’s what we need to focus on.”

Hailing both the Boards to call truce after ICC’s intervention, Kohli said: “It was a mature decision on everyone’s part to move on from that.” — PTI

It’s time we focus on the remainder of the series. There’s a lot of cricket to be played. — VIRAT KOHLI