Kolkata: Here we go! Some people never change! At a time when the Australian media should be scrutinising why Steve Smith’s men conceded the Test series to India, it is busy admonishing Indian skipper Virat Kohli yet again. Now what is Kohli’s fault now? The Delhi guy said after the victory in Dharamsala yesterday that his friendship with Aussie cricketers was over. And quite surprisingly, he has incurred the wrath of Australian journos for whom, Aussie cricketers are infallible. A section of the media called Kohli “classless” and “egomaniac,” reports PTI.
Some Aussie scribes had earlier called Kohli the Donald Trump of sports. And now they are back on the job. The Australian media also criticised Kohli after his team refused to join the Aussie players over a drink after the match. “Virat Kohli had to shake hands and move on after series win but he acted like a child,” a headline in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph read, that also referred to Kohli as an egomaniac. “Beergate: Kohli’s latest classless act,” read another headline. How could they even expect Kohli to forgive Australian cricketers after their acts which are worse than even misdemeanours?
Peter Lalor of The Australian pointed out, “If there were any doubts about the poor spirit between the Indian and Australian sides it was confirmed after the series when the home side shunned a suggestion the two sides drink together.”
The media also took jibes at Kohli for not letting bygones be bygones vis-à-vis Smith’s apology. “All Virat Kohli had to do was say sorry. Steve Smith did,” wrote Russell Gould of Herald Sun. The latest diatribes from the Australian media can only be termed as a joke because its patriotism seems to transcend the barrier of logic. Instead of attacking Kohli, it should analyse why the Australian team misbehaved during the series. The Aussies are not used to playing the game in the true spirit thus setting a bad example for wannabe cricketers. But the absolute illogical arguments put forth by the media are unacceptable.
Why launch an attack on Kohli? Hasn’t he had enough in the series? Forget sledging on the ground, a skipper like Smith who uses expletives against one of his opponents Murali Vijay does not qualify enough to be called a Gentleman. Why isn’t the Australian media taking Smith to task for being a poor ambassador of the game? And who gives you the right to mock an injured Kohli?
The fact remains, Australia has been outplayed by the Indians and it is probably becoming a bit too much for the media Down Under to digest. Accept defeat, don’t sulk over it, is the message to my counterparts in Australia. Sorry mates, your type of journalism is condemnable.