Virat Kohli, for his gesture for Steve Smith during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, has been awarded the Spirit of Cricket of 2019 by the ICC. Pakistani cricketer Mohammad Amir heaped the praise of the Indian skipper for his award.
During the World Cup 2019, Steve Smith had made a comeback in the game after serving a one-year-long ban because of the ball-tampering case in 2018. Thus in the game between India and Australia, the Indian crowd chanted ‘cheater-cheater’ when Steve Smith was fielding. Hearing this word echoing in the stadium, Kohli at once gestured the crowd to stop taunting the Smith rather than praise his efforts.
Booing someone is not in the spirit of any sport, I don’t endorse it: Virat Kohli
After receiving the award, Virat Kohli said that the situation in the ground was against the spirit of the game, so he doesn’t endorse it.
“It is part of the camaraderie that sportsmen must have with each other,” Kohli said after winning the award.
“That moment was purely understanding an individual’s situation. I don’t think a guy who is coming out of a situation like that needs to be taken advantage of,” he recalled.
“You can sledge, can have banter on the field, you say things to the opposition in wanting to beat them. But booing someone is not in the spirit of any sport, I don’t endorse it,” added Virat Kohli.
In 2016, Virat Kohli had gifted a bat to Mohammad Amir when the latter returned to international cricket after serving a lengthy ban for spot-fixing. After hearing these words from Kohli, Amir appreciated the Indian captain and hailed him saying:
“Great words from great player.”
Great words from great player
— Mohammad Amir (@iamamirofficial) January 15, 2020
Virat Kohli has many times raised his voice against the crowd when they have tried to demotivate the on-field players. In a match, when Rishabh Pant had a poor outing, the spectators were shouting “Dhoni-Dhoni”. Hearing this, Virat Kohli, who was standing near the boundary, gestured the crowd to stop booing the youngster.