Childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma believes Virat Kohli never crosses the line

India captain Virat Kohli had to face plenty of flak for his animated celebrations and mocking of spectators at Christchurch. On Day 2 of the second Test match, Kohli's foul-mouthed send-off to his opposite number Kane Williamson made headlines.

A drubbing inside three days didn't help matters for the 31-year-old, and he was left responding to questions about his sportsmanship from reporters. Apart from being animated while celebrating, Kohli also gestured to the crowd and asked them to be quiet.

New Zealand v India - Second Test: Day 1

However, Kohli's childhood coach Rajkumar Sharma believes his ward didn't cross the line.

“When he [Kohli] is doing well with the same aggression for the country, then everyone appreciates,” Sharma, the coach of Bank of Baroda in the DY Patil T20 Cup told reporters in Mumbai.

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Sharma further added:

“I have always believed that aggression is his strength, but there is a thin line between aggression and battameezi [misbehaviour]. He never crosses that line, and he should not. Aggression pumps him up to do well.”

One of the leading run-scorers in modern cricket, Kohli could manage just one fifty across formats on the New Zealand tour. The right-hander could manage to amass only 38 runs from four innings in the Test series; he got a few starts throughout the tour, but failed to make them count.

New Zealand v India - First Test: Day 3

But Sharma is unperturbed by Kohli's dismal show, and firmly believes he will be back to his best soon. He feels Kohli doesn't need to make too many changes to his technique.