Friendly Kohli determined to win
India skipper Virat Kohli has admitted to being friendly with a number of Australia players when they are off the field but says he knows where to draw the line.
Kohli has played alongside a handful of the Australian team in the IPL and got to know them quite well but that won’t be a distraction on game day.
The skipper said at a pre-match press conference: “I’m really good friends with all these guys off the field.
“I know them really well, but I know where to draw the line of friendship.
“When you step onto the field, I could be playing against my big brother, it wouldn’t matter.”
There have been calls from former Australian players to hold off on sledging Kohli as they feel it may motivate the man but Steve Smith has said that individual players are free to engage in that kind of thing if that is their game.
Kohli confessed that he had no idea why the Australians haven’t fired off any of their customary verbal barbs at him before the series.
He said: “It’s fine, if they (the Australia players) had of criticised me I would have been OK with it.
“It’s not something coming out of my mouth, so I have no control over it.
“I am focused and very aware of what I need to do.
“I don’t know the reason for it. There might not be any reason.
“I don’t want to sit here and speculate, but I can say I’m really good friends with these guys off the field.
“We get along really well. And on the field we’re professional enough to understand it’s going to be a competition.”
Kohli has been in sublime form since taking over the captaincy going past 200 for the first time in the West Indies before repeating the feat against their next three opponents.
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