PBKS spinner Harpreet Brar says respect for Virat Kohli remains despite IPL battles

Punjab Kings spinner Harpreet Brar has dismissed talk of a rivalry with Virat Kohli, calling it a social media creation. Brar said respect remains intact while stressing that bowlers must focus on their job rather than being affected by a batter’s aggression

New Delhi: Punjab Kings spinner Harpreet Brar has played down the talk surrounding his on-field exchanges with Virat Kohli, insisting there is no rivalry between the two and that a bowler’s focus should remain firmly on the job at hand, regardless of who is batting at the other end.

Brar, who has previously dismissed Kohli in the Indian Premier League (IPL), said the intensity seen between the two players is part of the competitive nature of franchise cricket and not a personal contest.

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For Brar, the respect for Kohli remains unchanged even when the two find themselves on opposite sides in an IPL game.

“It’s not like that. It’s good for the team. There’s nothing like a ‘rivalry’. It’s all a social media gimmick which starts there and dies there. I play for PBKS, he plays for RCB. I have only played franchise cricket with him. We both want to do good for the team,” Brar told IANS in an exclusive conversation on Thursday.

Brar believes Kohli’s enduring competitiveness is one of the qualities that has made him such a significant figure in Indian cricket. The spinner has also viewed that intensity as something younger players can learn from.

“He has played so many matches, and he plays the same way as he did when he was 18. His aggression on the ground is still the same. We have also learnt these things from him,” he said.

According to Brar, respect does not disappear simply because the two are competing. “But it’s not like that. He is a legend of this game. He is one of the legends. Respect is the same for him on and off the field.”

At the same time, Brar believes competitive cricket leaves little room for sentiment once the game begins. The objective, he said, is to perform for one’s own side, irrespective of personal relationships.

“But we do our job on the field. And we have learnt it from him only. He will never give an excuse saying, ‘He is my friend, so I won’t hit him for a four or six.’ It’s not like that. It’s not possible. He wants to do well for his team; it’s all jokes and fun. We have always learnt from him, and he is a great example for the future youngsters as to how cricket should be played,” he added.

Brar’s own history with Kohli adds another layer to their encounters. The PBKS spinner famously dismissed the former RCB captain in the same spell in which he also removed Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers.

But Brar said the identity of the batter does not change his responsibility as a bowler. “You should always have that current in you as a bowler; it doesn’t matter if it’s Virat Kohli batting in front of you or a youngster. As a bowler, my duty is to take his wicket or bowl a good over for my team. That should be the motto.”

For him, even the intimidating aura associated with Kohli should have no bearing on a bowler’s mindset. “Someone giving a death stare should not bother a bowler.”

Brar also dismissed the idea that Kohli is necessarily staring directly at him during such moments, pointing instead to the way television cameras capture interactions on the field.

“I have never seen him staring at me. The camera angles are like this. When we are on the ground. It feels like they are staring at me, but they’re not. You can only hear the conversation around the stump mic. You can’t hear anything else. But it’s not like that, as far as staring is concerned.”

Brar pointed out that intense reactions from captains and players are a routine part of competitive cricket, though Kohli’s profile naturally means his expressions attract greater attention.

“Our team’s captains also stare at us. That is never noticed. But Virat is a great personality. He is a great person. Most of the time, the camera is on him. You can see his aggression.”

The spinner offered one final reminder that what viewers interpret from a television broadcast may not necessarily reflect what is happening between players. “He doesn’t need to be staring at me; he could be staring at someone else too,” he concluded on a fun note.