Australia captain Steve Smith on Thursday said he was unsure if Virat Kohli was hinting at him in his tweet but for him, but added that he had moved on from the bitterly-fought series against India and focused on the upcoming Indian Premier League, NDTV reported.
The 27-year-old said that Kohli would be the best person to answer if Smith was part of the “few” Australian players Kohli would not want to be friends with.
“I don’t know if I am one of those couple of players Virat was hinting at in his tweet today. That is for Virat to answer,” Smith said during a promotional event in New Delhi.
“For me the series is done and dusted and India have outplayed us. I am now ready to lead a new bunch of team at the Pune Supergiant,” he added.
1/2 My answer at the post match conference has been blown way out of proportion. I did not categorically say the whole Australian team but
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) March 30, 2017
2/2only a couple of individuals.I continue to be in good terms with the few guys I know & who I've played with at RCB & that doesn't change.
— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) March 30, 2017
Kohli’s clarification came a day after he was criticised by the Australian media for stating that he would no longer consider players from the Australian team his friends.
Smith, however, refused to divulge the reason of why he apologised at the end of the fourth Test.
“It is done and dusted and let us leave all that behind. Let us think about the IPL, don’t want to talk about why I apologised after the Dharamsala Test,” he said.
Steve Smith will avoid taking ‘too many opinions’ from MS Dhoni & Co
Smith, who is taking over the reins from MS Dhoni at Pune, said he would prefer to run the team in his own style and not cloud his mind with opinions from others in the team.
“I have plenty of guys to talk to, but I will not seek too many opinions,” Smith was quoted as saying by CricketNext. “Seeking too many opinions can cloud your own judgement. I want to try and stay as clear as possible. But yes, if someone sees something and feels the need to point it out to me, they are more than welcome,” he said.
Asked if he spoke to Dhoni about the change in captains, the Australia skipper said: “We have shared a few messages and MS has been very supportive and there are no issues there. I don’t think our professional relation will have any effect post the change of captaincy.”
Other than Dhoni, Smith will have the company of two other skippers: Ajinkya Rahane and Faf du Plessis. The Australian skipper said their presence will not create any hindrance to the way he leads the side.
“It is great to have so many leaders in the team from around the world and I believe it will make my job easier. There should be no hindrance,” he said.