Indian cricket superstar Virat Kohli lashed out at reporters who he believed filmed his children at an Australian airport.
Kohli, who flew separately to his teammates, touched down in Melbourne from Brisbane ahead of the Boxing Day Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).
3
The 36-year-old had arrived in Melbourne with his family, including his two small children.
But Kohli’s temper soon flared when he perceived the local media had filmed the superstar with his kids.
In the footage, captured by 7 News, Kohli initially walked away but returned to issue his passionate plea to the media.
“It was upon seeing the waiting cameras that Kohli became a little heated over what is largely a misunderstanding when he thought the media was filming him with his children,” Channel 7 reporter Theo Doropoulos said.
“The usually cool Kohli seemed anything but, making his position very clear.”
Kohli said to the many cameras filming him: “With my kids, I need some privacy, yeah? You can’t film without asking me.”
Doropoulos added Kohli eventually cleared the air with the media ‘once it was explained his kids weren’t in fact being filmed’, with the Indian cricketer even shaking a cameraman’s hand.”
Kohli’s lash-out at the media perhaps speaks to the simmering tension between India and Australia in the latest series of the Border-Gavaskar trophy.
The series is level at 1-1 after the third Test at the Gabba was derailed by wet weather.
It was especially tough luck on the Aussies, who scored 445 in the first innings thanks to centuries from Steve Smith and Travis Head.
3
India could only muster 260 in response, as the Aussies declared at 7/89 in the second innings knowing time was running out to get a result due to the poor weather.
Sadly for the host nation, they could not get a result in time.
It leaves the series evenly poised going into the fourth Test at the MCG.
India got the series off to a dream start in Perth when they beat Australia by 295 runs thanks to the bowling brilliance of Jasprit Bumrah, who snared eight wickets for just 72 runs across two innings.
Kohli also earned himself a slice of history in Perth as his ton broke Sachin Tendulkar’s record for the most Test centuries by an Indian player on Australian soil, which now stands at seven.
Australia hit immediately back in the second Test when they demolished India by 10 wickets thanks to Head’s scintillating knock of 140 in the first innings.
3
India have held the Border-Gavaksar trophy since 2015 and if they are to retain it, they will need Kohli to produce similar performances to what he displayed in Perth.
Outside of his century in the first Test, Kohli has recorded scores of three, seven, 11 and three again.
