Former International players caution Virat Kohli to not hold grudges

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor

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Mark Taylor was among a host of former international players who have advised Virat Kohli to not hold grudges against the Australian players as cricket was just a game at the end of the day. Dean Jones went as far as to tell Kohli that the game is "not just about winning and losing".

The recently concluded series between India and Australia was an exciting one as far as cricket is concerned. In the first Test, Australia handed India their first defeat of the home season, but India came back to win two out of the three remaining games to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Off the field, however, it was the controversies that made the headlines.

After India wrapped up the series in Dharamsala, Kohli was asked if he still considered Smith’s men as his friends off the field, he said, “No, it has changed for sure. I thought that was the case but it has changed for sure. As I said in the heat of the battle, you want to be competitive but yeah I have been proven wrong."

But his statement invited censure from several former cricketers, who advised the Indian captain not to hold any grudges against cricketers. 

On his blog for Wide World of Sports, Mark Taylor wrote, “Cricketers play together a lot these days, both with and against each other, so you’ve got to be very careful about holding grudges and making stances like that.”

He added, “I always tried to catch up with the opposition after a match. There are series where you’re disappointed because things didn’t go your way, or you’re delighted because things did go your way, but you have to be bigger than that. You have to say, ‘Well, irrespective of my own performance and that of my team, I’ve got to go and put my face in there and say thanks for the contest’. At the end of the day, it’s become a fully professional game with quite a bit at stake, but it’s still just a game and I think that’s what people have got to remember.”

Former Aussie skipper Dean Jones, who firmly supported Kohli when the Australian media targeted him during the series, also tweeted, “Virat will learn that this great game is not just about winning and losing. It’s also about the friends you make while playing the game.”

But it wasn't just the Aussies who were having a say with former English player and commentator David Lloyd tweeting about a chat with Sachin Tendulkar that would do Kohli a world of good. 

He tweeted, “This lad certainly has a lot to say …maybe should sit and LISTEN to S Tendulkar.”

Owais Shah also tweeted, “that’s sad to see someone remind Virat, that it’s a game of cricket and leave cricket emotions on the cricket field. #notwar”

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