My superstition? White shoes, says Kohli

New Delhi, October 15

A few years ago, Virat Kohli, in Mohali during a Test match, was asked if he did anything specific, like deep religious prayers, to keep his focus on and off the field. “Do I look like that kind of a person?” he asked jokingly.

But it seems that Kohli is not without superstitions. “I love playing in white shoes, batting specially. It’s more of a superstition for me,” Kohli told Pep Guardiola, the head coach of football club Manchester City, during an interaction online. “When I bat, it’s my zone and time to be absolutely close to myself and perform,” said the 31-year-old.

Looks up to Mary Kom

In another conversation, with boxer Mary Kom, expectant father Kohli said he need not look beyond her for inspiration on how to strike a balance between parenthood and sport. Mary Kom is a mother of four and a champion boxer. Kohli and his actor wife Anushka Sharma are expecting their first child in January next year.

“I can’t think of anyone better than you to talk about being a parent and have a busy career like you,” Kohli said to Mary Kom during an online conversation. The pugilist attributed her ability to juggle her roles to the support system in her family. “I just wanted to say that you are a great inspiration for all of us,” Kohli said. “We are in the journey to become parents ourselves, we take a lot of inspiration from what you have done, we are going to follow the same path.” — TNS, agencies

Matches seem friendlies without fans

Pep Guardiola told Virat Kohli that football matches being held without fans during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic feel like “friendly games”. “Without people it’s not the same. It feels like a friendly game. We must do it, the show must go on! We need the people to come back to the stadiums when everything is safe,” said the 49-year-old. “It feels very different without them. We miss the fans. Playing closed behind the scenes is weird.”