Australia top-order batsman Steve Smith has broken silence on India captain Virat Kohli gesture during the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales last year. During the India-Australia World Cup clash, the ‘Men in Blue’ supporters tried to rile up Smith by mentioning the sandpaper scandal. However, the India captain egged the crowd on to support and not boo Smith soon after his return to international cricket from a one-year suspension for ball-tampering.
Smith finally spoke on the incident and said it was a nice gesture from the Indian skipper, which recently won Kohli International Cricket Council’s (ICC) ‘Spirit of Cricket Award’.
“In the World Cup it was really nice of Virat (Kohli) to do what he did. He did not have to do that and yeah it was a lovely gesture and really appreciated that,” Smith told IANS.
Smith also praised Kohli’s batting abilities and leadership qualities as he stated: “Yeah, he is terrific. His batting numbers just speak for themselves. I think he’s an incredible player in all three formats and I think we will see him break many records. He’s already broken plenty of them and I see him breaking many more over the years. He has got the hunger for runs and doesn’t stop getting them. Hopefully he can stop getting them against Australia, that’ll be nice.”
