Virat Kohli shows a middle finger to the Australian crowd
In this series, Virat Kohli, who was a youngster trying to get himself into the Indian cricket team, got into the spotlight. He showed his middle finger to the Australian crowd, which attracted attention, not just from the Indian or Australian media, but also from the international media outlets. Let’s take a look at this incident involving Virat Kohli and the Australian media.
By the time 2011 was coming to an end, the Indian cricket team was seen as a dominant force, as they had just won the World Cup. Despite that, a fact which should not be ignored is that they suffered incredible losses in the away Test matches. During the 2011/12 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, fans thought that the Indian team would finally dominate over Australia at their home ground, but it came to be the team’s worst nightmare.
India, which was expected to perform well, suffered a loss in the Boxing Day Test, which was being played at Melbourne. After this, the team lost the other three Test matches, which were being played at Adelaide, Sydney, and Perth. Therefore, India went on to suffer a 0-4 whitewash against Australia in the away series, coming out to be their worst series loss in history.
However, Virat Kohli, who was just 23 years old at that time, came as the centre of attention among the media and cricketing world. He had already established himself as a key player in India’s ODI squad with his brilliant performances, but he wanted to be a key part of the Test team too. It was not just his performances which caught the attention of the fans and media, but his attitude and aggression that received more from the fans.
Since Virat Kohli was a part of India’s Under-19 team, fans saw him as an aggressive player who brings energy to the team. He was not just like the other Indian players who preferred to stay silent in the away matches. Instead, he believed in going against the opponent players if they tried to sledge him or his teammates on the field.
It was clear that Virat Kohli would not hesitate to respond to the opponent players and even the crowd. Such an attitude helped Kohli to be admired by many and criticised by a few. Those who supported him saw Kohli’s aggression as the best way to reply to the sledging done by the Australians to the Indian players in the 2011/12 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. On the other hand, some also saw his actions as going against the reputation of the Indian cricket team and the game.
The second Test of the iconic Border-Gavaskar Trophy took place at the Sydney Cricket Ground. India had already lost the first Test, and also didn’t have a good start to the next game. The team got bundled out for 191 in the first innings, as their bowlers later struggled to take the wickets of Australian batsmen. Virat Kohli, who was playing in tough conditions, was being mocked by the fans repeatedly while he stood at the boundary line.
This usually occurs across the majority of the games, but players are still trained to ignore it. The Australian fans were repeatedly targeting Virat Kohli when he stood at the boundary line. While some of their lines were related to his batting, the others were related to his nationality, and Kohli could not hold himself back, as he decided to answer back.
During the fourth day of the Test, Virat Kohli was captured showing a middle finger to the Australian crowd, showcasing that he doesn’t care about the remarks they will make about him. The media was quick enough to capture the moment, and the picture immediately started to circulate across various local and international media outlets.
The Australian media is always quick to capture such controversial moments taking place both on and off the field, and they did the same this time too. Within a few hours, headlines around the country stated that the actions of a youngster like Virat Kohli were a disgraceful act, labelling him as arrogant and immature. Even in the newspapers, he was highlighted as a hothead, having no respect for the game.
Along with that, the commentators also questioned the gestures shown by Virat Kohli, saying that he deserves harsh penalties for the same, and also said that India has harmed the spirit of the game. Australia has been known to be dominant both physically and mentally on the field, and the actions of Virat Kohli showcased that the crowd was able to get under his skin.
In India, the reactions to Kohli showing the middle finger to the Australian crowd were mixed. Some fans criticised him for harming the image of the country, and also said that he is not professional enough to represent the country at the international level. On the other hand, some fans also defended his actions, saying that it was necessary to defy the Australian fans, who were passing racist comments to him.
Taking a look at social media after this incident, fans defended Virat Kohli to a great extent. They were happy with the idea of the Indian team going against the opposition and not taking the sledged quietly. For various fans, the narrative of this incident changed from being a scandal to resistance, proving Kohli as a warrior who stood against the crowd.
The ICC, watching how quickly this incident has escalated, got involved in this issue and decided to take the necessary actions. As a result, Virat Kohli was fined 50% of his match fees, as he breached the code of conduct of the game. A number of cricketers and analysts expected the punishment to be harsher, but the ICC decided to give him just a warning. Later, Virat Kohli also reacted to the same by saying that the crowd was saying things about his family, due to which he reacted.
Australia and India have always been fierce rivals whenever they go against each other on the field. After the monkeygate scandal, which took place in 2008, things started to cool down between these two teams, and fans thought that finally some good relations could take place between them. But the incident of Virat Kohli and the Australian fans had reignited the rivalry once again. The Australian fans were unhappy with Kohli’s gesture, while the Indian fans loved the way he fought back and answered the Australians.
Looking back to the incident between Virat Kohli and the Australian fans, it was just the beginning of the rivalry. Virat Kohli went unfazed and even finished as India’s leading run scorer in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2011/12. Later, he developed himself as the most aggressive Indian player to have ever stepped on the Australian field.
When he went to Australia for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, as the team’s captain, he even went on to defeat Australia for the very first time on their own home soil. This made him one of the most successful Indian batsmen and Test captains. Even though Kohli looked mature as the years progressed, his aggression was the main element which fueled the Indian team to go against the Australian players if they tried to sledge him.