There are millions of kids watching, he needs to choose his gestures carefully: Deep Dasgupta on Virat Kohli's WTC final antics
Deep Dasgupta believes Virat Kohli should be a little more careful while choosing his gestures on the field. The cricketer-turned commentator admitted the Indian skipper 'gets himself going' with his intense antics but conceded that he's a role model for millions of kids who might be impressionable of his actions.
Deep Dasgupta's observations came during a Q&A session on his YouTube channel. He was asked whether Virat Kohli's now-famous shush finger celebration toward some New Zealand supporters during the World Test Championship final was justified. In reply, he juxtaposed Virat Kohli's attitude on and off the field and said:
"I wasn't there so obviously I don't know. But with Virat, the thing is, personally the way he behaves helps him motivate himself. That's how he gets himself going. If you meet him off the field, he's one of the calmest people you'll come across. He's calm, quiet, soft-spoken, and very well-spoken too. But once he steps on the field, his attitude changes. I think that's his way of motivating himself. If that works for him, and I have said this [before], it's absolutely fine. At the end of the day, you want him to score runs. How he scores runs, how he wins games for India, we'll leave that to him."
Deep Dasgupta added:
"You talked about him being there as a captain. Yes, he's the ambassador of the country, especially when you are playing outside India... As I said, I wasn't in Southampton so I don't know how he behaved... I agree (he needs to choose his words and gestures in the right way), some of the things, I know he gets carried away. As you said, there are kids who are watching him, he's a role model for millions of kids and I agree with that."
India lost the WTC final by 8 wickets. Virat Kohli scored 44 and 14 in the two innings but his team failed to put in a joint effort against the battle-ready Kiwis. Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor won the game for their team on the reserve day with an unbeaten 96-run partnership.
Neil Wagner revealed the reason behind Virat Kohli's celebration
After the WTC final, New Zealand pacer Neil Wagner had revealed the complete story behind Virat Kohli's gestures. He said the Southampton crowd was teasing the Indian captain by singing his name to the tune of the famous Cranberries song Zombie. Wagner said in a press conference back then:
"Yes, the crowd started singing Zombie... They were singing, 'In your head Kohli, in your head Kohli, Kohli.' So they were trying to get under Kohli's skin a little bit and Kohli kept giving it around, giving them the shush fingers."
Virat Kohli couldn't clinch the Test mace but has the opportunity to find a reprieve in the upcoming Pataudi Trophy against England. The first of the five Tests will begin on August 4 at Trent Bridge, Nottingham.