It appears, over the past couple of years, it has become quite the norm to ask anyone who doesn’t agree with you or with your set of beliefs, to simply “leave the country”. It is surprising to see how one’s patriotism and loyalty can be quickly questioned based on different political and social views and how several discussions these days end-up on the same note.
It seems the same thought-process is being dragged into the world of sports now. And how much more unfortunate could it be, than to have it brought along by none other than Team India’s captain – Virat Kohli.
The ace cricketer attracted a lot of backlash earlier this week, when he asked a fan to ‘leave India’ – in response to a tweet that wasn’t any less shady and demeaning towards Indian cricketers to start with.
“Over-rated batsman and personally I see nothing special in his batting. I enjoy watching English and Australian batsmen more than these Indians,” the person said.
But an agitated Kohli’s response hit all the wrong chords people, as he told the person that he “shouldn’t be living in India” for having the kind of opinion about Indian cricket that he does.
Here is how he responded:
“Okay, I don’t think you should live in India then…you should go and live somewhere else, no? Why are you living in our country and loving other countries? I don’t mind you not liking me but I don’t think you should live in our country and like other things. Get your priorities right.”
As people pointed out Kohli’s “bad choice of words”, actor Siddharth also chimed-in with his displeasure over Kohli’s response.
Here is what the ‘Rang De Basanti’ star posted:
If you want to remain #KingKohli it may be time to teach yourself to think ‘What would Dravid say?’ before speaking in future. What an idiotic set of words to come from an #India #captain! https://t.co/jVsoGAESuM
— Siddharth (@Actor_Siddharth) November 8, 2018
“And anyone who doesn’t want to live in death trap #Delhi should go live somewhere else…” Now if @imVkohli had said this, at least there would have been compassion involved. I’m filming in #Delhi and we cant see anything! https://t.co/EMU33T5qCg
— Siddharth (@Actor_Siddharth) November 9, 2018
We used to lament audience behavior in some cricket stadiums which refused to applaud opponent team performances. TIL that young followers of the game today are so obsessed with their stars they cannot even hear people point out their mistakes. This cannot be good for the game.
— Siddharth (@Actor_Siddharth) November 9, 2018
And that is not all, even veteran cricket commentator Harsha Bhogle stepped-in with his own 2 cents. Here is what he wrote criticizing Virat for ‘living in a bubble’:
Virat Kohli’s statement is a reflection of the bubble that most famous people either slip into or are forced into. The voices within it are frequently those that they wish to hear. It is a comfortable bubble and that is why famous people must try hard to prevent it from forming
— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) November 8, 2018