While many former Australian cricketers are busy criticising Virat Kohli and his style of captaincy, former Australian captain Michael Clarke used very kind words to praise the Indian captain.
Speaking at the launch of his autobiography titled “My Story” in Kolkata, Clarke said that Virat Kohli will always have a very special place in heart. Clarke lauded Virat Kohli’s behaviour and maturity at the time when Australian cricket was mourning the loss of the beloved young cricketer Phil Hughes. Clarke mentioned how Virat Kohli along with team director Ravi Shastri and some other Indian cricketers attended Hughes’ funeral.
“The way (Virat) handled that situation, he came for the funeral and had some of the Indian players too. I have utmost respect for him because of that.
“This is clearly above the game of cricket and they didn’t need to postpone the game. They could not have turned up for the funeral. They didn’t have to do anything that they did. I will always remember that,” Michael Clarke said.
ALSO READ: Shane Watson defends Virat Kohli’s aggressive brand of cricket
Talking about his mate Phil Hughes, Clarke said that it’s still very emotional for him to talk about. He also said that Hughes’ death was one of the reasons why he decided to write the book.
“It’s still very emotional for me to talk about. The incident is one of the reasons for me to write the book. To get through that period, I spent that time writing it to show his family and the world how I feel. I feel it a big part of my responsibility to be Australian cricket captain and lead from the front for my teammate,” the 35-year old said.
“Apart from that, it’s a big responsibility as one of Phillip’s closest friends to be there for his family and for his other friends. I don’t think I did anything different than he would have done for me if I had been in his position. It took me longer to accept he is not there. I still have his mobile phone number in my phone. It’s still very hard for me to fathom that he is no longer with us.”
