Kohli is terrific guy, says former Oz captain Steve

New Delhi, June 21: Australia’s Steve Smith has hailed Indian superstar and on-field rival Virat Kohli as a “terrific guy” and a strong leader who plays hard on the field.

While international sporting events were halted when the Coronavirus pandemic hit, cricketers have been keeping in touch with each other through messages, phone and video calls.

“I had few conversations with him (Virat) off the field, few messages here and there in recent times just to see how things are going in India,” Smith told a national sports channel on Saturday.

“He is a terrific guy and we both play hard out on the field,” Smith added.

After India beat Australia in last year’s World Cup in England, Kohli apologised to Smith for chants of “cheater” from the stands towards the former Australia captain for his role in the balltampering scandal that rocked Australia during their 2018 tour of South

Africa.

The gesture was surprising because Kohli had once stopped just short of calling Smith a cheat after a Test match in Bangalore in 2017 when the then skipper looked up towards the dressing room for help during an umpire review — something not permitted under the rules.

“Virat’s gesture in the World Cup to the Indian fans that were giving me and David Warner a little bit of a stick — I appreciated that and I shared that with him straight up,” said Smith.

“He is a terrific guy and the way he has led the Indian team has been amazing,” the former Australian captain added. —