'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
What’s the story?
Steve Smith has described Virat Kohli's heart warming gesture, where the Indian captain asked the fans to stop booing the Australian player, as lovely.
In case you didn’t know…
The duo of David Warner and Steve Smith made a return to international cricket this World Cup after a one year gap. They were banned for 12 months by the Australian Cricket Board as a punishment for the ball-tampering case last year.
Both Australian players have received a hostile reception and during their encounter against India, things were no different. When Kohli was batting, Smith was near the boundary line, and Indian fans booed the Aussie batsman, calling him a cheater.
Kohli asked the fans to stop booing and also apologised for the inappropriate behaviour of the fans. India went on to win the match by 36 runs, and the Men in Blue are yet to lose a game in the World Cup so far. On the other hand, Australia are top of the table with four wins in five matches.
The heart of the matter
Smith expressed his gratitude towards Kohli for the gesture but stated that the negative response doesn't affect him.
Speaking in an interview with ESPN, Smith said:
"Yeah, it was a lovely gesture, It doesn't really bother me what the crowd do to be perfectly honest, I'm just sort of blocking it all out but it was a lovely gesture from Virat, that's for sure."
Smith also said that he has no desire to lead Australia again.
"I obviously don't have to worry about that, but I don't think that ever hindered me. I think I have always just loved batting and wanted to bat as much as I could in the nets. That probably played against me at times, batting too much in the nets and not freshening myself up."
What’s next?
Australia will meet Bangladesh on Thursday and England next Tuesday in their next two fixtures.
Also read – Most centuries in world cup
Follow Sportskeeda for all the updates on World cup points table, news, live scores, World Cup most wickets, schedule, most runs, and fantasy tips.
Brand-new app in a brand-new avatar! Download Cric Rocket for fast cricket scores, rocket flicks, super notifications and much more!
