Dubai: Indian cricket has another misogynistic controversy on its hand - this time an old one. After K.L. Rahul and Hardik Pandya were suspended for their controversial comments on talk show Koffee with Karan, an video has resurfaced in which current Indian captain, Virat Kohli, can be seen calling a girl ugly.
In the video, the host, Anusha Dandekar, asked Kohli about the quickest date he has ever had. Kohli responded, saying: “I went on a blind date, which ended in about five minutes. I saw the girl and I ran away.”
Dandekar reacted, “That is so mean! Was she really unattractive?” to which Kohli said, “She was ugly. I’m sorry, but she was ugly.”
Australian sports journalist @DennisCricket_ shared the video and tweeted: “Virat Kohli calls a girl ‘ugly’ after leaving her stranded on a date. Post your misogyny outrage below.”
In a tweet in Hindi, another Twitter user, @gaurav56502794, commented: “There was a time when good people like [Rahul] Dravid, [V.V.S.] Laxman and Sachin [Tendulkar] were in the Indian cricket team. Now, it is people like Pandya, Rahul and Kohli, Who don’t know how to respect people.”
Others asked that after Rahul and Pandya were suspended for their offensive interview responses, would the same be done to Kohli?
Twitter account @RadioCricket asked: “Serious point. If Kohli said this in 2019, would he be banned?”
@yashmishra12 wrote: “At last someone dug this video out. I thought about this one the moment they [Rahul and Pandya] were banned.”
Not the same
However, many Twitter users batted in support of the captain. Tweep @AmanMis80319113 wrote: “A 10-year-old video will not tell you what someone thinks today ... He was wrong then, could be different today.”
Another tweep, @AnuraagDutta added: “If a girl tells you that you are ugly, would that be considered a serious offense? Or has it become a serious offense because it involves Virat Kohli?”
@ArjunChopra_8 tweeted: “Calling a woman ugly is very different from describing several as conquests. Also banning cricketers is not for punishment in this case. It is so that the BCCI [Board of Control for Cricket in India] does not lose sponsorships, which is the bread and butter of the value chain. Also Pandya is replaceable, unlike Kohli.”
