Virat Kohli has been in the tabloids at recurring intervals of time, with some or the other controversy or life changing event enveloping him. Whether it’s being called out for his aggression on the field, or the hype around his wedding in Italy, he is no stranger to media attention.
Another such incident has come up, which has brought Kohli under attack from his fans and followers. Reportedly, he has been seen asking a fan to ‘not live in India’ after he said that he preferred non-Indian cricketers to Indian ones.
This very comment unleashed a row of backlash and criticism on Twitter towards the cricketer.
Here’s what happened:
What was the controversy?
Virat Kohli, while reading messages from his fans on a recently released app stumbled upon an interesting comment by one of his fans.
“Over-rated batsman and personally I see nothing special in his batting. I enjoy watching English and Australian batsmen more than these Indians”, said the fan.
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
To this, Kohli replied “I don’t think you should live in India, go live somewhere else. Why are you living in our country and loving other countries? I don’t mind you not liking me, but I don’t think you should live in our country and like other things. Get your priorities right.”
Also Read: Twitter Explains Why/Why Not Rohit Sharma Should Be Made Captain Instead Of Virat Kohli, Hilariously
How Twitter reacted
WTF is that @imVkohli video? Now he decides who should live in this country based on which team players we like to watch ? Who the hell is he to even say that?
Before you clean streets of India, how about you clean your bigoted dirty mind first?— Priyashmita (@priyashmita) November 7, 2018
https://twitter.com/PradyumnaDeshp1/status/1060136989247373312
#KohliGate What’s this @imVkohli ? Why are you supporting @ChelseaFC ? Take back your statement man, be a gentleman. Not an arrogant blind Desh Bhakt. Remain as true cricketer. Don’t become a politician. @BCCI @bhogleharsha @Ram_Guha @sardesairajdeep pic.twitter.com/uVFWZWBPBM
— Satish Chapparike (@chapparike) November 8, 2018
Not defending Virat Kohli, great sportsman like him shouldn't have said what he said. Having said that every Tom, Dick & Harry on social media, who hasn't even held a proper cricket bat in his life gives gyaan to Sachin & Virat.
— Krishna (@Atheist_Krishna) November 8, 2018
Just clarify/apologise and move on, champ. You are bigger than this. @imVkohli https://t.co/DlOJeCmN9u
— Sreenivasan Jain (@SreenivasanJain) November 8, 2018
https://twitter.com/Imsghsandesh/status/1060221802524270598
Virat Kohli’s response to the fan’s comment has indeed created a frenzy on Twitter and has led to people questioning the idea of a patriot. Many tweets mock Kohli on grounds that he claims to be a ‘desh bhakt’ but got married in Italy.
His response has stirred up a debate around the interpretation of democracy and what constitutes the fundamentals of nationhood.
Sources: Hindustan Times, News18, NDTV Sports
Image Source: Twitter, Google Images
Find The Blogger at @janhaviiisharma
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