Two of the cricketing greats of this era- Virat Kohli and Steve Smith- recently indulged into a brief conversation before the commencement of the first Test match between Australia and India at Adelaide on Thursday. Kohli and Smith can be discussing different phases of their glorious careers and how they battled the obstacles they faced in their journey to the top.
Virat Kohli And Steve Smith in conversation
Smith addressed the incident when Kohli asked the Indian fans to cheer for the Australian instead of booing him during the India-Australia clash at the 2019 ODI World Cup.
“I remember I sent you a message that night saying that was top class,” said Smith.
“There was an incident that had happened (the ball-tampering episode in 2018 involving Smith and David Warner) and you guys realised it and came back after a long time having gone through everything you had to,” said Kohli.
“I feel that nothing in life can be that permanent and it’s not fair to target an individual personally. As much as you play against one another, there is a human side to things as well. Yes, you’re competitive on the field but you don’t want to get nasty as such. In the long term you realise things from a larger perspective.”
Virat Kohli mentioned that it was the time after his father’s death when he started focusing more on his game. The Indian skipper was only 18-year-old when his father passed away. Kohli stated that he started taking his game more seriously when he lost his father as he decided to concentrate more on his passion.
“It was tough but it somehow put things into perspective,” Kohli said. “I just became single-minded from then on, focused to play for a long time, I didn’t think I was going to get dropped from the team. It was pure motivation and the will to move forward.”
Smith, who started his career as a leg-spinner, spoke about his journey from being a bowler to becoming one of the best batsmen of his generation. Smith revealed that he opted to become a full-fledged batsman to add longevity in his cricketing career.
“It was 2012 when I got dropped,” Smith said. “I played two Tests as a spinner, three as an all-rounder, I was batting at six and I got dropped so I thought ‘What was the best way to get back into Australian side and have a successful career?’
“So I thought ‘Right, it’s time to let go of spin’. I had so many people saying ‘Don’t do it, you need to keep focusing on different parts of your game’. I was like, ‘This is my decision and I want to be the best batsman I can be.”
Watch the full interview:
[yotuwp type=”videos” id=”QIlhtHmpKDI” ]
