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Shastri calls Australian media ‘desperate’ for ‘targeting’ Virat Kohli: ‘If it was 3-0, headlines would be different’
Virat Kohli faced the brunt of Australian media following the shoulder-bumping incident with 19-year-old Australian debutant, Sam Konstas, during the Boxing Day Test on Thursday. The India great was fined 20 percent of his match-fees for the incident, although many Aussie media outlets, and even former cricketers like Ricky Ponting, called for a harsher punishment.
The lead-up to the Melbourne Test saw Virat Kohli firmly in the spotlight, with much of the attention coming from the Australian media. At the airport before the match, Kohli was surrounded by journalists, and the situation took an uncomfortable turn when a reporter seemingly tried to snap a photo of Kohli with his family.
This incident, coupled with the altercation involving 19-year-old debutant Sam Konstas and the intense media coverage directed at Kohli, has sparked a strong response from former India head coach Ravi Shastri. Visibly frustrated by the treatment of the Indian star, Shastri suggested that the Australian media was showing signs of “desperation.”
Shastri believes the Australian media wouldn’t have reacted as strongly to the controversy had their team led the series 3-0, or even 2-0.
“It’s a little bit of desperation. You are three Test matches into the series, the scoreline is 1-1. The Border-Gavaskar trophy is still not yours. You want to win in Melbourne. I’ve been to Australia many times, the whole country comes behind the team. Not just the crowd, the media… everyone,” Shastri told Star Sports.
“I’m not surprised. That’s why I said it’s a sense of desperation. If Australia had already been 3-0 or 2-0 up, the headlines might have been different.”
Someone had to be the target
Shastri stated that Australian media targeted Virat Kohli and pounced on him following the shoulder-bumping incident.
“When you want to win badly… it not so often a country comes to Australia and win a series for 7-8 years. I know where it’s coming from, it has been there for a period of time, someone had to be the target, and they got the opportunity with the physical incident yesterday.
“When the physical contact happened, they were like, ‘this is our chance to get the fangs out, get the paintbrush out’ and start doing all sort of things,” said Shastri further.
Indian cricket team head coach Ravi Shastri has hit out at the Australian media for their coverage of Virat Kohli during the ongoing Test series between India and Australia. In a recent press conference, Shastri called the Australian media ‘desperate’ for ‘targeting’ Kohli and suggested that if the series scoreline was 3-0 in favor of India, the headlines would be different.
Shastri’s comments come after several Australian media outlets have criticized Kohli for his on-field behavior and tactics during the series. The Indian captain has been involved in a number of heated exchanges with the Australian players, particularly with captain Tim Paine.
Shastri defended Kohli, stating that the Australian media is trying to create controversy and distract from the actual cricket being played on the field. He also pointed out that if India was leading the series 3-0, the headlines would be focused on their dominant performance rather than on Kohli’s behavior.
The Indian team coach urged the media to focus on the cricket and not get distracted by the off-field drama. He reiterated that Kohli is a passionate player who always gives his all for the team and should be judged on his performances on the field.
As the series continues to heat up, it seems that the off-field drama is only adding to the excitement. Shastri’s comments serve as a reminder to focus on the cricket and let the players do the talking with their performances.
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- Shastri
- Australian media
- Virat Kohli
- Cricket
- Desperate
- Targeting
- Headlines
- Test series
- India vs Australia
- Cricket news
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