Believe it or not, the Australian media has compared the Indian skipper Virat Kohli to U.S. President Donald Trump.
In an article titled ‘Virat Kohli’s Donald Trump-like contempt for the truth making mockery of the game’, published in the Daily Telegraph, author Ben Horne has written how “President Kohli” (Trump-like) has been spreading “fake news” about Australian players and is “a law unto himself”.
There was already enough bad blood between the Indian players and the Australian players, what with the DRS referral controversy , the on-field sledging and the constant jibes the captains took at each other during the press conferences.
Clearly, the Australian media doesn’t seem satiated and launched a frontal attack on the integrity of the Indian skipper.
Sample this for an opening sentence: “The Indian captain is a law unto himself with no one — not even the ICC or his own board — holding him accountable for his continual perpetuation of fake news.”
And this: “Just like President Trump, Kohli decided to blame the media as a means of trying to hide the egg smeared right across his face.”
The author was referring to Kohli’s allegations that the Australians were mocking his shoulder injury and disrespected Indian team physio Patrick Farhart.
“They started taking Patrick’s name. I don't know why. He's our physio. His job is to treat me. I don't find the reason behind it. I could not understand. You must ask them why they have started taking Patrick’s name,” Kohli had said after the match.
Australian captain Steve Smith retaliated by saying, “I was a bit disappointed. I didn't actually do anything. Virat was having a go at me, saying I was disrespecting Patrick Farhat. If anything he [Farhat] did a terrific job to get Virat out on the field. He's a terrific physio.”
The issue blew up when replays showed Smith ‘clutching his shoulders’ in an apparent mockery of Kohli’s injury and the subsequent over-the-top celebrations from the Indian skipper after the fall of David Warner in the second innings. The Daily Telegraph claimed that the broadcasters apologised after it was found that it was a teammate’s hand on Smith’s shoulder and the commentators were deceived by an ‘optical illusion’ that showed the Aussie skipper in bad light.
The newspaper seemed disappointed that no action was taken against Kohli.
“Surprise, surprise though, the man who last week launched a scandalous attack on Smith and the Australians where he accused of them being systematic cheats, refused to apologise or provide any concrete evidence in his post-match press conference. This despite the relative diplomacy shown by his superiors at the BCCI, ” it said.
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