“I honestly feel bad about it” - Virat Kohli on cheers from the crowd when Rohit Sharma gets out

Former Indian captain Virat Kohli, who scored a 93-run knock off 91 balls in the first ODI against New Zealand, to propel India to a four-wicket win over the visitors, has revealed that he feels bad when the crowd cheers when the batter ahead of him gets out.

Speaking at the post-match presentation ceremony, Kohli took the example of MS Dhoni, who usually gets a loud cheer in the Indian Premier League (IPL) whenever he comes out to bat. However, Kohli stated that it also makes him happy when he sees happy faces among the crowd.

“I honestly feel bad about it (on cheers when the batter ahead of him gets out). I’ve seen it with MS, too. I understand the crowd gets excited. I just try to keep the focus on the game. I feel grateful; it’s a blessing (that people come and watch him). Makes me happy when I see happy faces,” Kohli said in the post-match presentation ceremony.

Furthermore, when the presenter Harsha Bhogle asked Kohli about winning a lot of the Player of the Match awards, the 37-year-old disclosed that he sends all the awards to his mother, and she likes to keep them with her.

“Honestly, I have no idea. I send it to my mum in Gurgaon; she likes to keep them. If I look back at my whole journey, then it is nothing short of a dream come true for me. I have always known my abilities. I have worked a lot for where I am today. God has blessed me with way too much, and I have a lot of gratitude in my heart. I feel proud,” Kohli added.

“Honestly, the way I’m playing, I’m not thinking of milestones. If we were batting first, I’d have gone harder. The experience does kick in, but the main thing was to get the team ahead and into a winning position. The basic idea is I bat at No. 3, and if the situation is tricky, I try to counterattack without playing outrageous shots. I felt today we can string in a quick partnership in the first 20 balls,” he concluded.

Batting first after losing the toss, New Zealand posted 300/8 in 50 overs, thanks to Daryl Mitchell's 84-run knock off 71 balls. In response, Virat Kohli's 93 off 91 helped India win the game by four wickets with one over to spare.

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