I feel calm, stable and happy on field because of Anushka: Virat Kohli

 Cricketer Virat Kohli spoke in support of girlfriend and Bollywood actor Anushka Sharma who faced unnecessary flak after the team’s exit from ICC World Cup.

Virat said during an interview to a news channel, "My relationship with Anushka has only become stronger because of that incident. We have gone through this together. If someone is saying bad things about my partner, obviously I will get angry because that’s a very personal thing to me."

People on various social media sites blamed Anushka for Kohli’s poor form during India’s semi-final match against Australia. India lost the match to the Aussies and exited the series.

The cricketer said Anushka was the "major reason" why he was "able to play" the India-England-Australia tri-series the way he did. He added that he felt calm, stable and happy on field because of Anushka. "It was shocking to know that people can target someone’s personal life like this. She had no relevance to the defeat. She only has a positive effect on me. But people found her guilty. Strange! My relationship with Anushka has only become stronger because of that incident," Virat further said in the interview, adding, "We have gone through this together. We have stuck to each other through this."

Virat also said that he did "cross the line" sometimes. "If someone is saying bad things about my partner, obviously I will get annoyed. I will get angry because that’s a very personal thing to me. You cannot sit quietly when such things are being said about your girlfriend or partner. People talk about my behaviour. I do accept that sometimes I have crossed the line," he said.

Elaborating on the debate over Anushka travelling with the Indian team on their World Cup tour, Virat said that he sought permission from the BCCI. "When she was there clapping for me when I got a 100, I felt very happy and relieved. It was there for people to see what Anushka’s presence can do to me… I thought with me performing and she clapping in Australia, we had made a joint statement."

Virat said that he had not imagined that people would start blaming Anushka for his failure in the World Cup semis and blame her even for the team’s defeat. "I am the last person who would compromise on my cricket for anything else. People need to understand that. I will give my life for Indian cricket. I will give my last percentage of energy and my body to win a game for India. And that is the reason why I play with so much passion. Everyone in the team or management or in the Board knows that. I don’t have to explain this to anyone," he said.

Virat also said that Anushka not only cheered him but the whole team. "Let me also tell you, she doesn’t cheer me up only. She is very friendly with all the members in the team. They are all friendly with her. She likes being around the team."