Dubai: Indian skipper Virat Kohli knows the art of denying news that can be uncomfortable for him and his future as captain. So it wasn’t surprising that when the whole Indian media was writing about the rift between Kohli and his senior teammate Rohit Sharma, he rubbished it as nonsense.
It is well known that Kohli has no respect for the media but to question their skills to unearth stories is unfortunate. The India captain’s observation that the whole rift story is false and fabricated is nothing but calling the media liars. Unfortunately, Kohli forgot that in this same tone some time back he had denied any differences with former coach Anil Kumble.
As per new security measures, media cannot even go near the dressing room. Kohli should understand that for the media to know what is happening inside the dressing room there is no need to get inside and witness it. However the team tries to hide what is happening, leaks are bound to occur. What Kohli forgets is that all other members in the team will not be willing to keep everything under wraps or deny everything that happens inside with a straight face.
India’s bowling coach Bharat Arun was shocked when he was asked about what happened inside the India dressing room during the World Cup. Unlike Kohli, he did not deny everything but said arguments and discussions can happen when taking decisions.
Whenever the India team hold a pre-tour departure press conference, the topic of discussion will often be on the team composition and on the strength of the opposition. The very fact that for the upcoming tour against the West Indies, the main topic was about the rift, proves that all that the media wrote is not mere fabricated stuff.
Kohli, before coming for the press conference must have been aware that the question about the rift will be asked. He could have easily solved the episode by inviting Sharma to attend the conference and make a statement. It is accepted that the pre-tour departure conferences are meant only for the captain and the coach, but when all newspapers are writing about this rift, they could have made an exception. What has now emerged out of this conference is nothing but Kohli and Shastri’s denial on the rift, which no one is going to believe now.
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Kohli has stated that bringing personal lives into the picture is disrespectful. When they present themselves in public and keep expressing their views through Twitter and Instagram, the media will find out who has unfollowed whom especially when a controversy is brewing between two super stars. If they believe that personal lives need not be brought into the picture, they should keep off all social media.
Over and above all this, Kohli stated that he would prefer Ravi Shastri to continue as a coach. Kohli is fully aware that a selection process is ongoing, with Tuesday being the last day for submission of applications to the post, so was it ethical to make such a public statement? It seems that the India captain decided to do so because the BCCI had stated that he will not be consulted on the coach’s selection.
Right away, Kohli has given the media an opportunity to write that the new coach may not be captain’s selection. When media will find out what happens later, if it isn’t Shastri as coach, then Kohli can once again state that all are nothing but false and fabricated.
