‘I Don’t Care About Outside Noise’ – Virat Kohli on Sunil Gavaskar’s Remarks

Virat Kohli ignited a war of words with legendary cricketer Sunil Gavaskar just hours before a crucial IPL 2024 match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

This comes after Gavaskar, a former Indian captain himself, criticized Kohli’s strike rate, particularly against spinners, in the T20 format.

Following a match-winning 70* against Gujarat Titans, where he dominated the spinners with a 179 strike rate, Kohli took a strong stance against his critics. However, Gavaskar’s on-air comments recently reignited the tension.

Ahead of the high-stakes IPL match that will determine RCB’s playoff fate, Virat Kohli, in a JioCinema interview, stated that he never bothers about the outside noise.

“I don’t need to react to any external noise,” Kohli declared. “I know what I can do on the ground. I don’t need to tell anyone what kind of player I am.”

“I’ve learnt this by figuring it out myself…failing from experience. It’s not a by-chance thing when you’re repeatedly winning matches for the team.”

In a clear dig at Gavaskar, Kohli further stated that he never seeks any validation from anyone regarding his game.

“I don’t need anyone’s approval, or assurance that I played well. I don’t need these things. I have learnt this from my father very early on. I could have played the state very early in my career through other means, but my father said only if you’re capable you will make it. Performance is my only currency,” Kohli concluded.

With both Kohli and RCB needing a strong performance to secure a playoff spot, the upcoming match against CSK promises to be a fiery spectacle at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.