Posted:
Virat Kohli abuses journo for Anushka Sharma story last year
Santosh Suri,TNN | Mar 4, 2015, 09.08 AM ISTinShare
More
A
A
He is the poster boy of Indian cricket; he wears his aggression on the sleeve and is more than willing to take the fight to the opposition. A batsman par excellence, he is even tipped to break almost all the records before him. Yet, Virat Kohli, the man who is being hailed as the captain of the future, has a darker side which erupts from time to time. It did once again on a quiet Tuesday afternoon here, when Team India was training at the Murdoch University ground.
For no rhyme or reason, and literally out of the blue, the India vice-captain started to abuse a journalist of a national daily . The media contingent and ICC officials simply watched in dismay as nobody could fathom the reason for his invective-laden tirade.
As it transpired later, it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity: Kohli unleashed himself on the hapless journalist believing that he had done a story exposing the fact that his actress girlfriend Anushka Sharma was staying with him in the team hotel during India's tour to England last May despite a ban by the Indian cricket board.
READ: Anushka Sharma-Virat Kohli relationship
When Kohli realized his mistake, he apologized to the journalist, but through another journalist. But by then, the damage had been done. The enfant terrible of Indian cricket had once again shamed himself in front of his fans and the media by showing his darker side.
It is learned that team director Ravi Shastri warned him after the incident to behave in future. But it's anybody's guess if it will have any effect on Kohli. On the current tour, the Australian players have branded him a spoilt brat because of his aggressive body language and penchant to celebrate milestones by mouthing abuses. While that may be a part of the way the game is played in modern times, taking on a journalist doing his job will not stand him in good stead when it's time for captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni to step down.
In this instance, the journalist hadn't even written anything and he was insulted and abused in front of his colleagues and sundry officials. Indeed, stunned team officials and a couple of players even tried to mollify him but Kohli just wouldn't stop. He didn't even have the basic courtesy of apologizing even after realizing his mistake.
Of course, the brash Delhi batsman doesn't stop at opposition players, journal ists and the common man. He cut loose in the team dressing room itself during one of the Tests here when he was asked to go in to bat at short notice when Shikhar Dhawan pulled up unfit at the last minute. Kohli is believed to have had a nasty showdown with his Delhi teammate. In fact, Dhoni described it as 'unrest' in the ranks.
He may be a young batsman, full of talent, but this is certainly no way to behave in public. India, which has been served with so much dignity by players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble, will be horrified when the captaincy baton is passed into his hands.
For no rhyme or reason, and literally out of the blue, the India vice-captain started to abuse a journalist of a national daily . The media contingent and ICC officials simply watched in dismay as nobody could fathom the reason for his invective-laden tirade.
As it transpired later, it turned out to be a case of mistaken identity: Kohli unleashed himself on the hapless journalist believing that he had done a story exposing the fact that his actress girlfriend Anushka Sharma was staying with him in the team hotel during India's tour to England last May despite a ban by the Indian cricket board.
READ: Anushka Sharma-Virat Kohli relationship
When Kohli realized his mistake, he apologized to the journalist, but through another journalist. But by then, the damage had been done. The enfant terrible of Indian cricket had once again shamed himself in front of his fans and the media by showing his darker side.
It is learned that team director Ravi Shastri warned him after the incident to behave in future. But it's anybody's guess if it will have any effect on Kohli. On the current tour, the Australian players have branded him a spoilt brat because of his aggressive body language and penchant to celebrate milestones by mouthing abuses. While that may be a part of the way the game is played in modern times, taking on a journalist doing his job will not stand him in good stead when it's time for captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni to step down.
In this instance, the journalist hadn't even written anything and he was insulted and abused in front of his colleagues and sundry officials. Indeed, stunned team officials and a couple of players even tried to mollify him but Kohli just wouldn't stop. He didn't even have the basic courtesy of apologizing even after realizing his mistake.
Of course, the brash Delhi batsman doesn't stop at opposition players, journal ists and the common man. He cut loose in the team dressing room itself during one of the Tests here when he was asked to go in to bat at short notice when Shikhar Dhawan pulled up unfit at the last minute. Kohli is believed to have had a nasty showdown with his Delhi teammate. In fact, Dhoni described it as 'unrest' in the ranks.
He may be a young batsman, full of talent, but this is certainly no way to behave in public. India, which has been served with so much dignity by players like Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid and Anil Kumble, will be horrified when the captaincy baton is passed into his hands.
3