Virat clarifies ‘not friends’ remark
NEWDELHI: Virat Kohli’s anger with Australia over their repeated jibes reached the tipping point after the Dharamsala Test in the Border-Gavskar Trophy series. The India captain said he was no longer friends with the Aussie players. The comment took the cricket world by surprise and many former Aussie players said Kohli’s comment was very un-captain like.
Kohli, who will lead Royal Challengers Bangalore, clarified that his comments were directed at only a couple of individuals and not the whole team.
MISQUOTED
“My answer at the post match conference has been blown way out of proportion. I did not categorically say the whole Australian team but only a couple of individuals,” Kohli tweeted.
“I continue to be in good terms with the few guys I know & who I’ve played with at RCB and that doesn’t change.”
Smith was asked at the RPS news conference about Kohli’s clarification and whether he felt he was one of the players who the India skipper aimed his comment at. It led to a lot of laughter before Smith answered.
“I guess you should put the question to Virat, I reckon. The series is done and dusted. I said after the series that India were the favourites... I’m ready to take on the IPL role...”
Shane Watson, Travis Head and Billy Stanlake are the Australian players in the Kohli-led RCB.
An Australian reporter had asked, after the Dharamsala Test, if Kohli still considered Steve Smith’s men his friends off the field as he had said at the start of the series.
‘CHANGED FOR SURE’
Kohli replied, “No, it has changed for sure. I thought that was the case but it has changed for sure.
“As I said in the heat of the battle, you want to be competitive but yeah I have been proven wrong. The thing I said before the first Test, I have certainly been proven wrong and you won’t hear me say that ever again.”
Kohli had stopped short of calling Smith a cheat for his ‘DRS brain fade’ moment after which a section of the Australian cricketers and the country’s media targeted the India captain for his remarks.
The Daily Telegraph went on to call Kohli “the Donald Trump of world sport.”
Even Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland said Kohli “perhaps does not know the spelling of sorry”.