2 Sep 2025 : Uthappa clarified that the conversation was meant to focus on him and not Kohli. Yet, his remarks strained their rapport, making him realise the value of sharing personal views privately first, before voicing them in public.
“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 or the fact that even if this is what I believe, he should know what I believe and that gives me the right to voice that. My relationship or my camaraderie with Virat was impacted by that. I saw that for what it was, just based on that one-on-one relationship. 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,” Uthappa said on his YouTube channel.
“I should have spoken to Virat Kohli about it…”
The 2007 T20 World Cup-winning star further admitted that though he had the right to voice his views, he realised in hindsight that he ought to have spoken to Kohli privately first. He said the incident taught him a valuable lesson.
“I didn’t speak about my experience with Virat. I spoke about what I saw one of my closest friends experience under his leadership. It wasn’t even his leadership, it was the style of leadership. Everyone is entitled to have their own style of leadership, and everyone is entitled to have their opinion. I felt, at least for my relationship with him, I should have spoken to him about it before I spoke about it on national television. That was my learning from that, and I think that sensitivity we must extend to cricketers or people in the same fraternity,” he added.
Summary :
Former cricketer Robin Uthappa admitted his public remarks about Virat Kohli strained their friendship. He expressed regret, acknowledging he should have handled matters privately to preserve their personal relationship.