There seems to be a big cracker in Virat Kohli that is waiting to burst, and unless he gets rid of it, there'll be another controversy
Virat Kohli continues to portray his angry young man image. File pic
Virat Kohli continues to portray his angry young man image, and who is to say he doesn't enjoy doing so. During the 2014-15 World Cup in Australia, he picked a fight with a journalist who was in no way connected to his grouse (girlfriend Anushka being blamed for his poor form on the 2014 tour of England). More recently, he responded unpleasantly to an Indian journalist who asked him whether tags like 'the best Indian team in 15 years' put pressure on his team.
Yes, the question was asked soon after India lost the fifth and final Test to make the scoreline 1-4 at the Oval in London. Yes, the question ought to have mentioned Ravi Shastri, because it was the head coach who indicated after the defeat in Southampton that this Indian team's success in such a short time was a 15-year exclusive. Yet, the question to Kohli was a fair one, and I wonder what some pundits mean when they say it was a loaded one.
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How should Kohli have responded to a question like that? Offer no comments? Utter "next question, please?" Tell the journalist to direct his question to Shastri? Instead, the bruised captain insisted that it was only right to believe that his side were the best before going on to ask the journalist what he thought about it. That's where Kohli erred because there was no way anyone (well, except himself and Shastri) would have agreed that this side deserved a premium rating. And so, the journalist's "I'm not sure" response was expected. Ditto Kohli's: "That is your opinion."
Kohli is a brilliant batsman and no one in world cricket comes close, even if Steve Smith was not serving his ban. However, four seasons into the job, he still has to get a firm grip on captaincy, and that includes getting his team combination right. Doubtless, he has a lot to learn about handling the media too, and I suspect there's a big cracker in him that is yet to burst.
While media-bashers would screw their faces at any one of us suggesting that Kohli should handle things better at press conferences, the fair-minded among the Press fraternity also realise that the media is not right all the time. Questions that are unfair and inane need to be stalled and that's probably where the Board-appointed media manager conducting the press conference should come into play.
Sadly, the relations between the team and the media have not improved after the Test series in South Africa, where Kohli reacted sharply when he was asked whether his team were well balanced in the first two Tests. Media relations could well deteriorate on the tour of Australia unless Kohli decides to take lessons on how to tackle the media. Just like the players cannot be accessible, available and amiable all the time, the media cannot be expected to be cheerleaders.
Handling the media is no easy task. The best of captains have not been very good at it. While some made improvements, others ended their careers and rued the fact that they couldn't crack the media code, as it were. Sourav Ganguly was smart, instinctive, but never rude. Sachin Tendulkar, who led India before him, displayed amazing patience even in the throes of adversity. When India were on the losing side match after match during the 1999-2000 tour of Australia, never once did he shy away from a media briefing. Rahul Dravid, who also had his share of downs, never gave the impression of cracking under pressure.
On the international front, Australia's Mark Taylor stood out. He was fair, but firm. I remember being among a group of journalists who were seeking some pre-match comments before Australia played South Africa in the 1996 Titan Cup triangular series at Faridabad. Taylor acknowledged his media duties and agreed to talk to us. When we suggested he speak to us at one end of his dressing room (as rival captain Hansie Cronje had done a while ago) for want of a media briefing area at the ground, Taylor refused, and so, the press conference took place in an uncomfortable corner, but not the dressing room.
It was a forgettable series for the winless Australians and Taylor didn't shy away from tough talk. "Disappointed? Oh, very much so. Maybe they (the team) are a little disoriented. They are not quite there with their cricket," he said. Poor performances can never be defended. It should be appreciated that everyone can't be the same and Kohli is markedly different. He could well choose to adopt the same combative approach, but if that leads to a bigger us-versus-them scenario with regards to the media, then it's not healthy.
Down the years, Kohli may regret having a go at the journalist in London. He could well compare it to a rubber band snapping. At the moment, he seems to be living in a whirlpool, and that is understandable, considering the kind of pressure an India cricket captain has to deal with. He'd do well to view criticism, like how Taylor did in his book Time to Declare — "like going to the dentist — no-one likes it, but it's a fact of life in the sporting spotlight."
mid-day's group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance. He tweets @ClaytonMurzello Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com
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