Kohli urges SL fans to show compassion

Virat Kohli called for compassion from everyone concerned in these tough times for the Sri Lankan cricket team.

Sri Lanka are going through one of their worst phases having been whitewashed 3-0 by India in the Tests before being drubbed by nine wickets in the first ODI in Dambulla. Prior to this, they had lost the one-day series to Zimbabwe 3-2 at home and had just about managed to win the one-off Test series against the minnows. On Sunday, the fans protested in Dambulla, holding up the departure of the team bus from the stadium. The police had to resort to mild caning to disperse the agitating crowd.    

“I'm not someone who will sit here after not performing and request the fans to be patient with us or (tell them) ‘please don't react in a bad way’; that's a very personal choice,” Kohli said when asked how did he seek to comfort his opponents and what would be his request to the fans. 

“If I am watching a game as a fan and I see a team not being able to do well I would feel compassion. I would not burn effigies or smash faces put on mannequins and what not. I would show compassion because you can understand at a human level that everyone's trying hard out there and no one wants to go out there to lose or fail. I think people find the ease, and convenience and the pleasure in pulling other people down which I personally don't believe in. I'm sure it's tough for the players to see such things. But you can't really control what's happening from another person,” he elaborated.

Speaking from the Indian team’s point of view, Kohli said they cut out all negativity that was directed at them from the outside as the team’s transition began in 2014.

 “It was about neglecting all of those things and making sure that we're tight as a unit so that we don't get affected by the things that are happening on the outside. And we've been able to reach this position because of the belief we were able to create amongst the group and not looking to too much outside of what people are saying.”