Virat Kohli needs more maturity, says Steve Waugh after journalist controversy
Former Australian captain Steve Waugh has urged Indian star batsman Virat Kohli to show the same maturity that he has done on the field off the field from now onwards. Kohli has been in the eye of the storm over the last couple of days after apparently abusing and misbehaving with a Hindustan Times journalist during a practice session in Perth on Tuesday.
"The young Indian star is the best batsman across all formats for me, and really has not put a foot wrong since he landed in Australia at the start of our summer. Which is why I wish he would show little maturity when dealing with situations like the one that arose on Tuesday,” Waugh wrote in his column for a national daily.
Kohli will get smarter as he grows older: Waugh
The 49-year-old added that the Delhi batsman has been an inspiration for many young kids in the way that he has performed in Australia so far and felt that he will understand how to not bother about what has been written in the press as his career moves forward.
"Kohli is too good a player, too inspirational a role model, to really need to tick off someone for an article that came out six months ago. I am sure he will gain perspective as he grows older.
"The media have a job to do and every journalist has his opinion. (He) Will soon realise that an article criticising you is an insignificant dot in the larger scheme of the world,” the former right-hander added.
India will look to continue their winning run at the 2015 World Cup when they take on West Indies at the WACA in Perth on Friday.