![\"Virat](\"https:\/\/indiansportsnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Virat-Kohli-Crowd.jpg\")
Familiarity, it seems, only breeds respect for Indian captain Virat Kohli.<\/p>\nFamiliarity, it seems, only breeds respect for Indian captain Virat Kohli.<\/p>\n
Few teams know each other as well as India and Australia, who played their ninth ODI match this year in the ICC Men\u2019s Cricket World Cup at the Oval.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s one of the fiercest rivalries in world cricket, with Kohli admitting a recent home series defeat to Australia was the major motivation in his side\u2019s 36-run victory.<\/p>\n
However, when Australia\u2019s Steve Smith received a hostile welcome from a capacity crowd dominated by Indian supporters, Kohli knew he had to intervene, appealing to the crowd to get off his back.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not good to see someone down like that, you don’t want to see a guy feeling that heat every time he goes out to play,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause there’s so many Indian fans here, I just didn’t want them to set a bad example. He was just standing there and I felt bad for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sorry on behalf of the crowd as, and in my opinion, that’s not acceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kohli is certainly happy with his form as India head to Trent Bridge for a clash with New Zealand on Thursday brimming with confidence after opening wins over South Africa and the defending champions.<\/p>\n
He made a dashing 82 to delight the partisan crowd though it was opening batsman Shikhar Dhawan, who hit 16 boundaries in his 109-ball 117, that shone brightest of all.<\/p>\n
However, the Indian captain saved special praise for Hardik Pandya, who was promoted up the order to deliver quick runs and duly fired a freakish 48 off just 27 deliveries, including clubbing an enormous six straight over the head of Australian seamer Pat Cummins.<\/p>\n
India scored 120 runs in their final ten overs, Pandya\u2019s seven boundaries, including three mammoth sixes, ultimately the difference between the teams.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe’s in a good space right now,\u201d added Kohli.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m really delighted to see him enjoying himself on the field. He’s just having fun and playing the sport for the love of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe is playing with a clarity of mind and striking the ball brilliantly. In the past he sometimes tried too hard but after the IPL he seems to believe he can clear the boundary whenever he wants.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s not trying to over-hit the ball, he\u2019s just timing things so well. The bowler is always under pressure against him because he needs to get it absolutely right, that\u2019s an amazing place to be in for Hardik.\u201d<\/p>\n
Courtesy: www.icc-cricket.com<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Familiarity, it seems, only breeds respect for Indian captain Virat Kohli.<\/p>\n
Few teams know each other as well as India and Australia, who played their ninth ODI match this year in the ICC Men\u2019s Cricket World Cup at the Oval.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s one of the fiercest rivalries in world cricket, with Kohli admitting a recent home series defeat to Australia was the major motivation in his side\u2019s 36-run victory.<\/p>\n
However, when Australia\u2019s Steve Smith received a hostile welcome from a capacity crowd dominated by Indian supporters, Kohli knew he had to intervene, appealing to the crowd to get off his back.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":36806,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cricket-cricket"],"yoast_head":"\n