Australia Vs India 2018/19: Maintain humility with media and fans, BCCI tells Virat Kohli

A Committee of Administrators member in a Whatsapp message to the Indian skipper asked him to be civil and courteous while interacting with media and fans alike.
Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli (Photo | AP)
Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli (Photo | AP)

Ahead of the Team India's much-awaited Australia tour next week, BCCI's Committee of Administrators (CoA) has asked captain Virat Kohli to conduct himself with humility down under.

As per a Mumbai Mirror report, a CoA member in a Whatsapp message to the Indian skipper, asked him to be civil and courteous, while interacting with media and fans alike. The administrators also called up the Delhi batsman regarding the same matter.

“He was told to be humble, in his interactions both with the press and the public,” said a CoA official.

CoA's reaction comes after the Indian skipper caught the Twitterati's ire for asserting that those who love foreign cricketers more than Indian ones should leave the country.

Kohli, during his 30th birthday second week of November, launched a new app named "Virat Kohli Official App". While recording a promotional video to mark the event, the Delhi dasher came across a fan’s note which said, "He is an overrated batsman. Nothing seems special in his batting. I enjoy watching English and Australian batsman more than these Indians."

Replying to this, the Indian skipper said, "I don't think you should live in India. Go and live somewhere else. Why are you living in our country and loving other countries?"

Adding that he didn’t mind any sort of dislike towards him, Kohli also felt that one should get his priorities sorted before posting such comments.

Many Twitter users didn’t accept his statement and went on to attack him for his so-called hyper-nationalist comment.

Some have also picked out his self-introductory video during the 2008 U-19 World Cup, where he was seen mentioning former South African batsman Herschelle Gibbs as his favourite cricketer.

However, the stylish right-hander later remarked that he was all for "freedom of choice" and urged the cricket fans to "take it lightly".

Five-time former world champion chess grandmaster Viswanathan Anand too felt that Kohli had become a bit emotional and lost his control while making the comment.

"I think he lost control. He got a bit emotional and he just said the first thing that came to his mind. That's the attitude he is comfortable with. In sport, you see all characters and this is the character that fits him best. I try to be myself and in the end, you should be comfortable in your own skin," Anand told news agency PTI on the sidelines of the Tata Steel Chess event in Kolkata.

While Kohli’s immediate response to the CoA advice is still unknown, he was subdued at the pre-tour press conference on Thursday.

The India-Australia contest has been a fiery one in cricketing history. The Monkeygate controversy in 2008 Sydney Test involving former Aussie all-rounder Andrew Symonds and veteran Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh is still considered one of the lows for the gentleman's game.

Last year also, during Aussies' Test tour in the subcontinent, controversies erupted. While in the Bengaluru Test, Steven Smith faced a backlash from Kohli for looking at the team dressing room balcony ahead of a DRS call, when he was dismissed by pacer Ishant Sharma in the second innings. The visitors lost the match by 75 runs while chasing a 188-run target.

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