India's star cricketer Virat Kohli was involved in a huge brawl at the Melbourne airport ahead of the fourth Test of the 2024-25 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The argument continued to escalate as Kohli had a heated exchange with a TV journalist at the airport.
However, the truth has now come out about the whole incident. It is believed that it was not Kohli's fault and instead the Australian media tried to create unnecessary controversy by targeting the Indian legend.
Read also: Virat Kohli gets into a brawl at the airport ahead of the Boxing Day Test match
According to reports, Kohli was targeted by the Channel 7 reporter unnecessarily. He arrived at the airport with his wife Anushka Sharma and their two children. The Channel 7 cameraman was looking to take pictures of them, but was refused by the Indian star.
Initially, Kohli asked the cameramen not to shoot and Inside details of Virat Kohli's fight with Australian Media at the airport leaked their privacy, but they continued, leading to further arguments. The cameraman further apologized and understood Kohli's concerns as a parent.
Virat Kohli was unnecessarily targeted by Channel 7 reporter. A close friend of Kohli told me the whole story. Two fans from Singapore witnessed the entire incident. They corroborated the description of Kohli's teammate. This was disgraceful of the Aus media to go after the Indian legend…. pic.twitter.com/FCW6DPsqoo
— Vimal Kumar (@Vimalwa) December 19, 2024
What was the incident?
When Virat Kohli arrived with his family at the Melbourne airport, the cameras of Australia's local network Channel 7 tried to capture the moment. Kohli asked the cameraman not to take pictures, but the cameraman did not stop, causing Kohli to turn around.
This time, he came up with some harsh words that were directed at the Channel 7 TV journalist. He stated that boundaries were crossed by the Australian media, which he did not like. The journalist and Kohli were seen having a conversation later as the pictures went viral on social media.
Kohli has a huge fan following not only in India but also in Australia. He is followed by cameras and his actions are also scrutinized. Overall he has a good record in Australia but the current series has not gone well for him so far.
Virat Kohli's poor run with the bat
Kohli arrived in Melbourne for the Boxing Day Test at the MCG starting on 26 December. The 36-year-old has had a disappointing run with the bat and has struggled to play for much of the time except for one innings in Perth when he scored a brilliant hundred.
In 6 Test innings, Kohli has so far scored 126 runs at an average of 31.50. He has looked far from his best with his weakness off the off stump which has led to most of his dismissals. In the recent Test at the Gabba, he scored just 3 and was dismissed by Josh Hazlewood.
The pressure is mounting on Virat Kohli to perform now. India will expect their talismanic batsman to score big runs when they need him the most. Kohli has been in poor form since the start of India's home Test season. He needs to get back into shape quickly before it's too late.