Virat Kohli has taken aim at cricket reporters in Melbourne, with the Indian superstar lashing out at being filmed without consent after touching down in Melbourne. Kohli and his teammates landed in Melbourne on Thursday ahead of the fourth Test against Australia getting underway on Boxing Day.
The five-Test Border-Gavaskar series is delicately poised at 1-1 after rain wrecked any chance of a result in the third Test in Brisbane and both sides had to settle for a draw. That leaves India knowing a win in either Melbourne or Sydney will see them keep hold of the trophy, with the visitors only needing to draw the series.
Despite scoring a century in the series opener in Perth, Kohli heads into the Boxing Day Test under a fair bit of pressure after a lean year with the bat that’s seen him score just 376 runs in 17 innings this year. The 36-year-old’s century in Perth was his solitary ton in 2024, with the superstar Indian batter only managing one half century as well.
Outside of his Perth century, Kohli has only made scores of 5, 7, 11 and 3 this series, having not been required to bat during the second innings of the Gabba washout. And with the series on the line heading into the fourth Test at the MCG, tensions are understandably high, with Kohli clashing with reporters at Melbourne airport after arriving from Brisbane on Thursday.
The Indian superstar was reportedly involved in a verbal altercation with a TV reporter from after taking exception at the cameras filming him while he was travelling with his children. TV crews had reportedly finished filming an interview with Aussie quick Scott Boland – who is likely to replace the injured Josh Hazlewood for the Boxing Day Test – when they turned their attentions to Kohli.
But the Indian batter was travelling with his kids and was not impressed by the impromptu attention they were given by the waiting media. “With my kids I need some privacy, you can’t film without asking me,” an annoyed Kohli could be heard saying to the TV crews.
Channel 7 reporter Theo Doropoulos reported that Kohli “became a little heated” over what was described as a “misunderstanding” with the Australian 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,” the reporter said on 7News.
Shame on Australian media. Virat Kohli is with his family and you have to respect his privacy. You cannot film him without his permission. Stay strong @imVkohli. You are a legend and always have my support 🇮🇳❤️❤️❤️
— Farid Khan (@_FaridKhan) December 19, 2024
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Kohli reportedly held clear-the-air talks with the Aussie media after being assured that his children were not being filmed. And the Indian star was seen shaking hands with one of the cameramen after things cooled down in the wake of the altercation.
Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma under pressure with the bat
Kohli had fallen outside the top 20 in the ICC’s Test batting rankings before his century in Perth but the 36-year-old’s struggles with the bat have continued throughout the rest of the series. Kohli managed scores of just 7 and 11 in the Adelaide pink ball Test, and managed just 3 in his only innings at the Gabba as his weakness against deliveries outside off-stump once again came to the fore.
The Indian veteran will be under pressure to perform in Melbourne after seeing his average in 2024 drop to 25.06 after the Gabba Test. India captain Rohit Sharma is also struggling with the bat after registering scores of three, six and 10 this series, having missed the opening Test.
“I have not batted well,” Rohit admitted after the third Test. “There is no harm in accepting that but I know what is in my mind and how I am preparing myself. All those boxes are very much ticked. It is just about spending as much time as possible (at the crease). I am pretty sure I am just there.”
Rohit has moved from opening into the middle order to accommodate in-form KL Rahul at the top, but it has not improved his own lack of runs. The 34-year-old skipper came into the Border-Gavaskar series with just 133 runs in his previous 10 innings and the Indians know they will need him and Kohli firing if they hope to retain the trophy.
with agencies
