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“My Relationship With Kohli Was...”: Uthappa Admits His Comments Hurt Their Bond

Jatin

Robin Uthappa and Virat Kohli [Source: @SPORTYVISHAL, @duary_satyajit/x.com]Robin Uthappa and Virat Kohli [Source: @SPORTYVISHAL, @duary_satyajit/x.com]

Robin Uthappa has opened up about a chapter he now looks back on with regret. The former India batter admitted that his outspoken words in an interview about Virat Kohli’s captaincy during the 2019 ODI World Cup ended up souring his personal relationship with the former skipper.

Robin Uthappa Opens Up On Controversial Interview

“In that whole conversation, the intent was not to speak about Virat. That interview was meant to be about me. I was asked a question which I spoke to. I didn’t take into consideration at that point the sentiments of Virat,” Uthappa revealed on his YouTube channel.

He added:

“My relationship or my camaraderie with Virat was impacted by that. My learning from that was, when I spoke to him about it, I acknowledged that I should have spoken to him before, even if it was what I believed.”

The Rayudu Controversy

The issue dates back to India’s 2019 World Cup squad selection. Ambati Rayudu, long seen as the frontrunner for the No.4 spot, was left out in favour of Vijay Shankar. Chief selector MSK Prasad famously called Shankar a “3D player,” but the decision left fans and players divided.

Uthappa, in a blunt Lallantop interview at the time, didn’t mince words.

“If he didn’t like anyone, they were cut. Rayudu is the prime example. He had World Cup clothes, kit bag, everything ready, thinking he would play. But you shut the door on him. That wasn’t fair,” he had said, even going as far as to call Kohli a “cut-throat” leader.

Those comments, while headline-grabbing, came with a heavy price for Robin Uthappa.

Uthappa’s Clarification

Now, years later, Uthappa insists his words weren’t aimed at Kohli as an individual but at the larger style of leadership he observed.

“I didn’t speak about my experience with Virat. I spoke about what I saw one of my closest friends experience under his leadership. Everyone is entitled to their own style of leadership, and everyone is entitled to have their opinion. But I should have spoken to him about it before I spoke on national television. That was my learning,” he admitted.

Looking back, Uthappa knows he had the right to share his opinion but also understands the importance of timing and sensitivity. He summed it up best himself that he should have taken guard and spoken to Virat Kohli privately before airing his views.