Indian skipper Virat Kohli has come under fire from cricket enthusiasts, who detected bigotry in his recent comments while seemingly answering questions from his fans. In a video gone viral on social media, Kohli is seen repeating a line written by a fan, “He is an overrated batsman. Nothing seems special in his batting. I enjoy watching English and Australian batsman more than these Indians.”
This appeared to leave Kohli incensed prompting him to launch a tirade against his fans. He replies, “I don’t think you should live in India. Go and live somewhere else. Why are you living in our country and loving other countries? I don’t mind you not liking me. I don’t you should live in our country and like other’s thing. Get your priorities sorted.”
No sooner did was this video posted on social media, fans began to slam him for sounding like BJP spokespersons. Kohli’s words, they argued, sounded like constant threats issued by BJP leaders to Muslims other critics of the Narendra Modi government in India to go to Pakistan.
Author Annu Jalais wrote, “this doesn’t make me like you one bit @imVkohli. Stop being a BJP spokesperson and focus on your game. In other words, shut up & go play!” Another user Rahul asked, “What else do you expect from a BJP supporter, saar?” User Naresh Khuraijam wrote, “Married in a foreign country. Supports foreign countries in other sports. Plays a sport originating from a foreign country instead of playing kabaddi. Talks in a foreign language many times. Wears foreign dresses. Is he in his right mind speaking those words now?
Is #Kohli asking his non-Indian fans to leave their country and come to India??.. Or to sort their priorities? #WTF pic.twitter.com/tRAX4QbuZI
— H (@Hramblings) November 6, 2018
One user pointed out how he had described South Africa’s Herschelle Gibbs and not Sachin Tnedulkar when he was asked to name his favourite player very early in his career.
Go to South Africa @imVkohli 🙂 pic.twitter.com/VMWxZRR7HB
— नवेन्दु ??♂ (@NavenduSingh_) November 7, 2018
Not too long ago, another former India cricketer and his former teammate from Delhi, Gautam Gambhir, too was slammed for toeing Hindutva line for his constant bigotry. It seems, Kohli too is paving the way for him to join his most preferred political party for his post retirement assignment.
Kohli and his Bollywood actor wife Anushka Sharma had recently faced social media roasting for their colelctive decision to name and shame an ordinary member of public as they posted his video of allegedly littering a road in Mumbai.
