Last Update on: September 15th, 2023 at 12:15 pm
As Steve Smith gears up for his fourth ODI World Cup, he has recalled a warm gesture from India superstar Virat Kohli during the previous edition of the tournament.
Steve Smith along with his teammate David Warner was returning to international cricket through the 2019 World Cup after spending a year out of the Australian side to serve bans for ball-tampering incidents. Both players were suspended by Cricket Australia in the wake of the sandpaper scandal during a Test against South Africa in 2018.
Unsurprisingly, both the players had to deal with hostile crowds in the World Cup. And the situation was not different when Australia faced India at the Oval in London. Steve Smith was fielding in deep when a section of the Indian fans decided to get under his skin. The former Australia skipper became the subject of continuous jeering from fans.
He was also being called a cheater by the fans before Virat Kohli decided to intervene. Virat Kohli, who was leading India in the tournament, decided to defend the Australia star. Between the overs, he dissuaded the fans from doing so and asked them to cheer him instead. Later, the India star was presented with the ICC’s ‘2019 Spirit of Cricket’ award for his gesture.
Steve Smith on Virat Kohli’s gesture:
Ahead of the upcoming ICC World Cup 2023, Steve Smith recalled the incident and said that it was a nice gesture from Virat Kohli. Speaking to Star Sports, the former Australia captain said:
“It was a very nice moment from Kohli in the 2019 World Cup, crowd was booing me and he told the crowd to just support him, What is wrong with him. That was great from Virat, really appreciate it.”
“Virat Kohli is an incredible player. He always step up and delivered in big games. He has done it again and again for India in big games – there are not many bigger players than Kohli,” he added.
Virat Kohli and Steve Smith will be up against each other soon when India welcomes Australia for a three-match ODI series later this month. It will be followed by the World Cup. India and Australia will lock horns against each other on October 8 in Chennai.
