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Indian cricket icon Virat Kohli has once again found himself at the center of controversy, this time due to a candid statement made by renowned commentator Harsha Bhogle.
In his recent interaction, Bhogle expressed his opinion on Kohli’s approach to batting, suggesting that at times, it might be in the team’s best interest for him to get out and make way for big-hitting players. The remarks stirred up a storm on social media and the video of the same spread like wildfire, with Kohli’s supporters expressing their discontent and defending the batting maestro’s record-breaking performances.
The viral video and Harsha Bhogle’s controversial remarks
In the now widely circulated video, Bhogle articulates his perspective on the strategic aspect of dismissals in cricket, using Kohli as an example. Bhogle suggests that in certain situations, it might be in the team’s best interest for a batter, even a prolific one like Kohli, to deliberately get out after spending a certain amount of time on the crease and make way for big-hitters to add quick runs.
Bhogle further highlights how, in Test cricket, Kohli is expected to stay at the crease and not get out. However, when playing for franchises like Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) or🌄 in T20Is for India, the dynamics might change. According to Bhogle, beyond a certain point, it could be strategically beneficial for the team if a player like Kohli intenti🔯onally gets out.
“Virat Kohli is a great example. Virat Kohli is playing Test cricket for India and he isn’t supposed to get out. Now, he goes to play for RCB, for India; beyond a certain point, it might actually been the interest of the side for him to get out. How do you reconcile to the fact that I am one of the greatest who have played the game but actually at this stage, it’s in the team’s interest that I get out because the person who is coming in will probably hit 20 of 6 balls. Virat Kohli is an extreme example,” said Harsha Bhogle.
VIDEO | “Virat Kohli is a great example. Virat Kohli is playing Test cricket for India and he isn’t supposed to get𝕴 out. Now, he goes to play for RCB, for India; beyond a certain point, it might actually been the interest of the side for him to get out. How do you reconcile to…
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News)
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The massive backlash
Bhogle’s remarks did not sit well with many Kohli fans who took to social media to express their displeasure. Some criticized Bhogle for seemingly targeting Kohli consistently, while others pointed out that Kohli boasts a better strike rate than many big-hitting players in the death overs. The online backlash also included tweets reminding Bhogle of Kohli’s T20 heroics, such as the memorable innings against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup 2022 at the MCG, where the Delhi-born cricketer played a pivotal role in India’s sensational victory.
Here’s how Twitter reacted
When the entire team gets out & that too quite frequently in T20 World Cups, Virat Kohli is the only one standing. You’re preaching how he needs to get out in the best interest of the team?
All well with you?— Sushant Mehta (@SushantNMehta)
you either die a🀅 hero or live long enough to see yourself become the v🌳illain
— (Lenin's Version) (@sureyaar)
From 'voice of cricket' to 'noise of hate', what a fall.
Kohli will keep going 'out of the ground' many times and create many more iconic moments and 'experts' like you will have no option but adore and appreciate him even when you don't want to.
That's greatness of Kohli.
— Pratheep (@208off149)
Imagine if Kohli left it to DK who's supposedly better suited to score 20 off 6 in THAT match against Pak.
— rootofall3vil (@rootofall3vil)
I really feel sorry for this thinking. Now imagine with this context, if Virat got out in 15th over (for team’s interest) in T20 WC 22 or 2016 for match against Aus does that even make sense? You should never generalise✃ your statement, it is not truღe and not practical.
— P ✨ (@ssnoozee_)
How much are you willing ♋to fall just to fulfill your unjustified immoral agenda against Kohli? Shameful statement, , but low class seems to be a regularity fo♑r you now.
— Y (@itsYashswiniR)
Harsha Bhogle’s clarification
Amid the uproar, Bhogle wasted no time in issuing a strong clarification to address the misunderstanding and provide context to his earlier statements. Bhogle took to social media to explain that his intention was not to undermine Kohli’s abilities but to highlight the evolving dynamics of the game. He even called out the Press Trust of India for releasing a cropped video and not sharing the full conversation. Expressing frustration, he pointed out that the section where he praised Kohli and provided reasoning for his articulation was unjustly not shown.
This is an example of what I was talking about with sꦅocial media. The video is cropped just before the point where I say that Virat is capable of playing across situations but that I was only highlighting how even the greatest players have to keep adjusting demands and…
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha)
If even succumbs to irresponsible click bait media, what chance does our profession have? Extremely disappointed. I hope the head of news is too. Come on, let us maintain the fairness o🦹f our profession.
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha)
Now this is how a malicious edit can be done. The clip that posted was cut at 0:41 on this edit. The next 6꧟ seconds were kept out to change the meaning. This is the problem with clickbait journalism. The context h🐟ere is that this is part of a larger discussion in an HR…
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha)
