Virat Kohli recently made a statement in response to a comment by a cricket lover in a video that went viral. Kohli famously asked the commentator to go live somewhere other than India simply because he saw nothing special in Kohli and enjoyed watching English and Australian batsmen more. Now while he may have quickly regretted the rank foolishness of his impetuous words, his remarks reveal a huge sense of entitlement and an extremely thin skin. We the cricket fans of India are as much to blame; here’s why:
“Go and live somewhere else” says Kohli in the video. While some on social media thought this was a great answer to the comment; Kohli faced a major backlash for this petulant and childish words. He did some damage control with a subsequent tweet “I guess trolling isn't for me guys, I'll stick to getting trolled!” he said in a meant-to-be-disarming tweet and added that he was all for freedom of choice. Chess ace Vishwanathan Anand also came to his defence, saying that it was a moment where Kohli lost control. This may well be the case and Kohli may have actually meant his charming almost-apology, but his spoken words were troubling at so many levels.
Firstly, his instant reaction is of a piece with the many who say “Go to Pakistan” to anyone who doesn’t share their ideology or worldview. This is inevitably the response of those who cannot seem to think up a real, cogent reply. Not only does Kohli feel that there is no space for cricket fans in India to worship at any altar but his own, he also equates himself with the country! What staggering arrogance; what a sense of entitlement!
He feels that by the dint of his undeniable talent and hard work, he is entitled to the adulation of Indian fans; that Indian fans who admire other cricketers have no right to do so. And what a massive ego it must be, that convolutedly equates admiration for one’s own sporting talent with love for the country!
Fans seemed quite taken aback by the sheer arrogance of Kohli’s response. They pointed out the fact that Kohli seems quite keen on foreign locations; even choosing to get married abroad and that he endorses several foreign brands. Now locations and products are not the same as national icons – and Kohli is one, like it or not. But there is also the fact that many non-Indian players are a part of the IPL; of the team that Kohli captains as well. In fact the IPL wouldn’t be what it is without the participation of international talent! So, should Indians support IPL teams sans those foreign players?
The problem is that celebrities (I use the word celebrities and not sportspersons quite deliberately because only male cricketers become celebs in India) exist in a bubble of their own. They are cocooned from reality by their privileged lives, their celebrity status and the unquestioning adoration of fans. It is these very fans that create a virtual echo chamber for the stars; insulating them from reality itself.
The unreasoning and blinkered love that Indians have for their cricketing heroes (not the heroines; they barely evoke a luke-warm response from a few and that, only when they do something altogether spectacular) is largely responsible for how thin skinned Kohli has shown himself to be. The cricket loving public will prostrate themselves before their beloved cricketers; express their love literally in blood! It is not unnatural that the top cricket players start to believe in their own myth; imaging themselves to be a little like the God-like personas that fans have crafted for them.
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