The larger-than-life image of Virat Kohli is here to stay!
Although, the batting ace is not at his formidable best, his nerves never fail to give chills to any cricket fan.
While some Pakistan cricketers & fans had called out Kohli for not responding to Babar Azam's words of encouragement, the Indian ex-captain did not disappoint and duly acknowledged his rival from the neighbouring country.
Also read: Virat Kohli thanks Pakistan captain Babar Azam for heartwarming tweet
‘Form is temporary but class is permanent’, has, in recent times, become the most commonly used phrase to describe the out-of-form ‘King Kohli’.
And, rightly so!
Though he is faltering at the crease, the 33-year-old’s class goes beyond the boundaries of any oval grass field.
Be it taking a stand for Mohd Shami, calling out the Steve Smith bullies, appreciating an opponent’s skills, or fearlessly building camaraderie with India’s most fierce rivals, Pakistan, both on and off the field.
Virat has never shied away from acting in good conscience!
Despite having a ‘hisab barabar’ style when on duty, the 33-year-old has never failed to impress with his gestures towards his colleagues.
During last year’s T20 World Cup, Virat Kohli’s grace made it to the news headlines! Although India had a forgettable performance, Kohli’s gesture of hugging out the loss against Pakistan received a lot of appreciation. Social media called the moment between Virat Kohli and Mohd Rizwan the ‘true spirit of cricket’
In the same tournament, after India suffered an embarrassing loss against Pakistan, Mohd Shami was subjected to brutal trolling. The then India-skipper came out in support of his teammate and lashed out at the ‘spineless people.' Attacking someone over religion is the most pathetic thing someone can do, Virat said.
And who can forget the Steve Smith incident, when Kohli won a million hearts. After the Australian cricketer made a comeback following a 1-year ban in 2019 due to the infamous ball-tampering scandal, the fans did not welcome him well. Kohli asked the fans to not boo him. He gestured the audience to clap and cheer for Smith. This also won him the ICC Spirit of Cricket award of the decade.
Even before this, in 2016, Kohli gifted his bat to Pakistan’s Mohd Amir. The talismanic cricketer had earlier promised the pacer that he would gift him his bat during the Asia Cup. Kohli kept his word and on the eve of the India and Pakistan T20 World Cup clash, the batter gifted his bat to Amir.