Virat Kohli is swimming in shark-infested waters right now, thanks to his rather unsavoury response to a comment from a cricket fan who claimed he liked Australian batsmen more than Indian ones.
Indian Captain @imVkohli wants Indians who enjoy Australian and English batting more than Indian batting to move out of India and stay in those countries. pic.twitter.com/IlkSFhB7f5
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) November 7, 2018
The cricket captain’s reaction, particularly asking the writer of that comment to leave the country because they preferred international talent, rubbed a lot of Indians the wrong way.
Backlash ensued about how Kohli had absolutely no standing to tell anyone who or what they should be liking in the first place. Some called it arrogance going to his head, others claimed he was chanelling some of that aggression he usually exhibits on the pitch. Comparisons with Dhoni, Sachin and Rohit were made.
Virat Kohli's statement is a reflection of the bubble that most famous people either slip into or are forced into. The voices within it are frequently those that they wish to hear. It is a comfortable bubble and that is why famous people must try hard to prevent it from forming
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) November 8, 2018
The gist of the comments being that the captain of the Indian cricket team, who endorses several international brands, got married in Italy instead of India, and is himself a fan of internationl sports teams, should not be asking others to leave India for their preference of players of different nationalities.
Some of the comments were well laid out and impactful. But as is always the case, there was some fair amount of abusive language and unwarranted trolling as well.
In the wake of all the heat generated by this debate, Virat Kohli has gone ahead and tweeted a clarification.
He clarified that his comment was in context to the phrase “these Indians” used in the fan’s comment and he was pro freedom of choice.
I guess trolling isn't for me guys, I'll stick to getting trolled! 😁
I spoke about how "these Indians" was mentioned in the comment and that's all. I’m all for freedom of choice. 🙏 Keep it light guys and enjoy the festive season. Love and peace to all. ✌😊— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) November 8, 2018
Virat’s clarification received a mixed response of sorts from his fans and haters.
There were many who believed that Virat’s reaction was completely valid, and any sportsman playing for his or her country would be offended if their own people made such a comment. Others who might have had a bone to pick with his exaggerated comment were divided over the tweet.
Should’ve just been humble and moved on.
i understand but it was an exaggerated response to a comment whose identity you can't confirm! the best response would have been to show some humility and move on!
— vivek singh (@vivekbabaji) November 8, 2018
Own your statements.
And that warrants you to say get out of the country? Then what's the difference b/w you & those coming on news channels & shouting their lungs out. If you say 'no difference', then that's fine. But please don't pretend to be a white knight after making such immature statements. https://t.co/vYOgjLrBuv
— Pramit Chatterjee (@pramitheus) November 8, 2018
Not sure how to feel about the apology, considering there’s no apology.
https://twitter.com/raosuresh953/status/1060650980335935489
It was merely a spontaneous reaction; he didn’t mean it.
https://twitter.com/SolMahesh88/status/1060593246307581953
The clarification sure puts things into perspective….
https://twitter.com/AskAmanJoshi/status/1060735630647296000
Can we focus on the bigger picture here?
https://twitter.com/mukesh_hemnani/status/1060598457453305857
Let’s just focus on his game, not his words.
It was more towards 'these Indians'! Was kinda silly comment but god, look at these fucking outrage. If only we pay half as much attention to politicians words as we do to these celebraties! https://t.co/qyN1YVDWtt
— Adharsh Rajendran (@madrasdude) November 9, 2018
Lesson learnt. Let’s move on?
#KingKohli misspoke & has learnt from this. I hope just like his game, he gets wiser at addressing uncomfortable queries. Wish him all the love and more. 🙏🏽 #MyCaptain #IndianCricketTeam https://t.co/FKcg6QYYdv
— Roy (@RoysChatBox) November 8, 2018
The jury still seems to be out on whether we can look past Virat Kohli’s comment or hold him to it. All over a nameless faceless comment. The video seems to be some sort of a ‘trolling the trolls’ segment on an interview, and probably all in jest. Either way, there’s an important lesson for all public personalities in here that we hope they, and our Captain as well, have grasped.