On Day 3 of the third Test between India and South Africa at Cape Town, Virat Kohli lost his cool after seeing a dubious DRS decision giving South Africa skipper Dean Elgar a lifeline. What followed was a barrage of comments directed towards the hosts’ broadcaster (SuperSport), with the likes of R Ashwin and KL Rahul also launching a cohesive attack using the stump-mic.
Criticism has been thick and heavy on social media, with many targetting Kohli for setting the wrong example. Even former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir has lambasted the India Test skipper for his acting like an ‘immature’ player.
“Kohli is very immature. It’s worst for an Indian captain to say like this in stumps. By doing this you will never be an idol to youngsters,” Gambhir said on Star Sports.
“In the first innings, you got a 50-50 call on caught behind then you were silent and in Mayank appeal too. I think Dravid will talk to him on this topic,” he added.
“Focus on your team while they shine the ball. Not just the opposition. Trying to catch people all the time,” Kohli was heard as saying on the stump-mic while the likes of Ashwin and Rahul also seemed to have alleged that the images shown on the screen by the ball-tracking system were flawed.
It was the first ball of the 27th over of South Africa’s second innings, with Ashwin bowling to the South African captain. The Indian off-spinner thought he had gotten Elgar, plumb in front of the stumps and even umpire Marais Erasmus also raised his finger. But Elgar decided to challenge the on-field decision after consulting with his non-striking partner Keegan Petersen.
