Kolkata: There seems to be no end to the Decision Review System (DRS) row between the Indian and Australian cricket teams. The Australian newspaper Daily Telegraph has now accused Indian captain Virat Kohli and coach Anil Kumble of inappropriate behaviour during the second Test in Bengaluru. And to add to it, FOX Sports Australia, has a section wherein the fans vote for the ‘vettel’ of the week. Vettel, in the urban dictionary lingo is used for the ‘sports villain.’ Kohli was put in the same bracket with a dog, a cat and a panda.
According to the Daily Telegraph report, Kohli was livid following his dismissal and after entering the dressing room, smashed a Gatorade bottle off a table, which rebounded off a television set and struck an Australian team official on the leg. It also claimed that Kohli also used a “throat-slitting gesture to send-off Peter Handscomb late in the Test.”
“Kohli was also seen swearing in the direction of the Australian box as he left the field and using a throat-slitting gesture to send-off Peter Handscomb late in the Test,” the paper said.
The report blamed the Indian Test captain Kohli for killing the spirit of the game. “The spirit of the game notion has been pronounced dead in the game many times before, but Kohli — a law unto himself — would appear to have killed it off once again with his behaviour some of the worst by an international captain since villainous Sri Lankan leader Arjuna Ranatunga.” it said.
The Australian daily further accused Kumble of storming into the umpires’ room to seek clarification about Kohli’s leg-before dismissal in the first innings. “Kohli might be the aggressor in the brazen campaign India is running against Australia’s integrity — even striking an Australian official with an orange Gatorade bottle — but coach Kumble, one of the main instigators of the Monkeygate fiasco, would appear to have reclaimed his role as the puppeteer behind the scenes,” the report said.
“It’s understood Kumble has also made his fury known about the actions of the match to referee Chris Broad during the Test, complaints which are now to be passed onto the ICC by the BCCI,” the report added.
The report, however, does not have the response of the Indian team management or the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). All these pointless controversies seem to be stealing the spotlight from what has been a spectacular Test series so far. The series has not been drab, yet not the special performances of the players on the pitch, but blame games making the headlines. Some media houses too have added fuel to the fire. Hopefully the two teams will put their differences aside and fans will get to watch two classic Test matches between the giants of the game in Ranchi and Dharamsala.
(With inputs from Hindustan Times)