Surprised to win Spirit of Cricket award after being under scanner for wrong things for years, states Virat Kohli

Addressing the crowd at The Oval, that was booing at Steve Smith over the Sandpapergate, Kohli stopped them from doing so and asked them to clap at the Australian great instead. Smith was away for a year from cricket due to a ban imposed on him for ball-tampering. There was a time when Kohli had called on his Australian counterpart and referred to him as a cheat but the Indian skipper showed immense maturity when supporting Smith. 

"That moment was purely understanding an individual''s situation. I don''t think a guy who is coming out of a situation like that needs to be taken advantage of," Kohli said in at an event in Mumbai, as quoted by PTI.

"Sometimes we are too judgemental of someone in their early years and that''s exactly what I don''t want the younger players in the team to face. Everyone should be given space to realise themselves and who they are." 

Kohli, who was once fined 50 per cent of his match fees after he was seen showing the middle finger to the crowd as a reaction to some hostility from fans, has matured over time. After the ICC rewarded him for his standout gesture, Kohli said that he was rather “surprised”, given his reputation.

"I''m surprised that I have got it, after many years of being under the scanner for the wrong things," Kohli said in a statement issued by the ICC.

Moreover, the Indian captain believes that fans should avoid moral policing in general. He also strongly condemns booing as it displays a wrong image of the nation, in this case India, via its fans.

"That should not be a representation of our fans and what we stand as a cricketing nation, a sporting nation. We need to all take responsibility towards that. Intimidate the opposition, definitely try and have an upper hand but in a matter that is not targeting someone emotionally. That is not acceptable at any level and people should be wary of that," Kohli added.