The ICC Awards 2019 is out. While Rohit Sharma bagged the ODI Player of the Year for his immaculate performances throughout the course of the year, his national side skipper Virat Kohli was honored with the prestigious Spirit of Cricket Award for his gesture towards his counterpart and former Australia skipper Steve Smith during India-Australia 2019 World Cup clash in Kennington Oval, London.
Following serving his one-year ban for his involvement inthe infamous ball-tampering saga, which rocked Australian cricket in March2018, Smith (along with David Warner) went through a hard time as fans fromother countries booed them consistently during the 50-over showpiece event.
When the same happened for Smith, triggered by a part of the Indian contingent, during the high-voltage clash India-Australia encounter, Kohli came in support of the Australian. Being in the middle and trying to push the scoreboard beyond Australia's grasp, the right-hander signaled the crowd to not boo him and instead applaud Aussies' Mr. Consistent for his fighting spirit.
Smith and Kohli were seen shaking hands post the gesture by the latter, which added plenty more fans for the Indian skipper following the encounter. While both Kohli and Smith are often pitted against each other for being modern-day greats, the two share immense respect for each other. After India's 36-run win in the World Cup clash versus the five-time champions, Kohli had stated and explained is actions in the post-match press conference, "What happened, happened long back. He's back, trying to play well for his side. Not good to see someone down like that. You don't want to see a guy feeling heat every time he goes out to play," he stated.
Currently, both Kohli and Smith are involved in the ongoing three ODIs between India and Australia, being played in the subcontinent.
