Legendary Australia spinner Shane Warne was all praise for Indian cricket team skipper Virat Kohli but he also pointed out that Kohli can be a a bit too emotional sometimes on the field.
“He’s fantastic. I love watching him bat and I love listening to him. I am a big fan,” Warne told Times of India.
“You know what he does? He stands up for what he believes in. He speaks how he feels and he’s real. He’s emotional, a bit too emotional sometimes on the field. But that’s the part of the charm,” he added.
When it comes to the Australian crowd, they have a love-hate relationship with the India skipper. While he is appreciated for his supreme talent, he was also booed by the crowd during India’s matches in Australia. Warne believes that his competitiveness and desire to win makes him a favourite among the fans around the world.
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“I think world cricket loves him. Everyone loves Virat Kohli because it’s refreshing to hearing him talk so honestly and openly. He loves confrontation. That’s why he has those 100s in chases. How many, 23, 24? The next best is how much? I can’t remember who’s second. That’s something inbuilt into you. That’s not skill or talent. He’s got a lot of that. That is just pure competitiveness and pure desire - to get the job done,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}“I think world cricket loves him. Everyone loves Virat Kohli because it’s refreshing to hearing him talk so honestly and openly. He loves confrontation. That’s why he has those 100s in chases. How many, 23, 24? The next best is how much? I can’t remember who’s second. That’s something inbuilt into you. That’s not skill or talent. He’s got a lot of that. That is just pure competitiveness and pure desire - to get the job done,” he said.
{{/usCountry}}Warne also had his say about that the recent controversy around Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul’s comments on a TV chat show. Pandya and Rahul appeared on popular TV show Koffee with Karan and talked about their sexual conquests. The duo’s comments were deemed to be misogynist and disrespectful. The players were subsequently dropped from the Indian side.
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Warne, who took 708 Test wickets in a storied cricket career, feels that the reaction to Pandya and Rahul’s comments was ridiculous and players should be allowed the space to express themselves without inhibitions.
“…it’s all about political correctness these days. If a player steps out of line, everybody has an opinion and I thought that this particular thing was ridiculous. Just let them be”, he was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz in an interview.