February 25, 2026

Those who are blaming Anushka Sharma for Virat Kohli’s impetuous stroke in the semifinal are doing a great disfavor to a batsman destined to be one of the greatest batsmen India has produced. The facts speak for themselves. Wives and girlfriends were not allowed in the round robin stage. Virat Kohli’s performance was pedestrian. They were allowed from the knockout stage, but Anushka reached Sydney only before the semis. Before that, Kohli again underperformed in the quarterfinals against Bangladesh. Hence, his semifinal failure was a continuation of a lean streak.

Why can’t we admit that after his stupendous performance in the series against Australia, Kohli has lost touch â€" he is searching for form. This is not the first time such a thing has happened to a top player, neither is this the last time. Where does Anushka come into the picture? If anything, going by the flying kisses he sent in her direction during the Australian series, one would think that he would try his level best to turn out a match winning performance to impress his lady love.

Kohli has always been a big match player. He has the talent, the drive and the temperament to serve Indian cricket well in the days to come. He has found love in the form of Anushka Sharma, whom he is set to marry sometime this year. She is not a distraction. Kohli has been around too long and is mature enough to ensure that she does not become a distraction. Inspiration yes, but never distraction. If critics think that she is, then by that token Kohli should be thrown out of the team. For Anushka is going to be a permanent fixture in the stands once Kohli marries her.

People. People. Be reasonable. It is not as if Anushka dated him the previous evening and kept him awake the whole night. For those who are not aware, there are curfew hours for the team. There is a lot of discipline that goes into making of a player before he is fit to wear the Indian cap. Such unreasonable criticism hurt players. Even M S Dhoni, Saurav Ganguly and other former players have supported Virat in this.

Knowing Kohli, one is sure he will not take this to heart. He will let his bat do the talking. Once his bat starts talking, all else will be forgotten.