The bitter criticism he faced from sections of the Indian media following his failure during the Indian cricket team’s 2015 ICC World Cup semi-final loss to Australia has left Virat Kohli “disappointed” and “hurt”.
Speaking out for the first time about the barrage of vitriol he faced following India’s defeat, Kohli said that those people who had made harsh comments should be “ashamed of themselves”.
“After that, to see such reactions after just one poor innings, was very disappointing. I had been consistent for the last five years and to see such reactions for just one match was really disappointing,” Kohli reporters in Kolkata on Friday, ahead of Royal Challengers Bangalore’s IPL 8 match against hosts Kolkata Knight riders. “What it does is it makes you lose faith in a lot of people. It’s a good thing in a way – you get to know who’s with you and who’s not. It was indeed a very difficult, well, not difficult because it’s not in my control. But the reactions were very disappointing.”
Following India’s 95-run loss, during which Kohli made one run off 13 balls, there was widespread criticism of him not delivering in a crucial game, but what seems to have irked the Test captain are attacks on his personal life.
“At a human level, I would say I was hurt. And the people that said things and the way they were said, they should be ashamed of themselves,” he said.
Kohli started the World Cup with a century against Pakistan but was unable to replicate that touch thereafter, scoring 46, 33*, 33, 44*, 38, 3 and 1.
Hinting at the criticism he attracted last year in England when he had an awful run in five Tests, Kohli – who will lead India’s Test team with MS Dhoni retired from the format – commented on the media’s reactions to his slumps in form.
“I never know when my rough patch comes or when I am in form. It is for you all to decide – you make the judgements better than I do. It is funny because there are some standards a player sets for himself over a period of time and I like to perform consistently,” he said. “So in my case if I don’t do well in two games it is a dip in form whereas for some of the other players they perform two games out of ten they come back in form. I don’t understand that and I don’t really pay attention to it. It is how you hit the ball on that particular day. In my mind I am really more confident than I have been ever in my life.”
During the World Cup, when India were stationed in Perth, Kohli had publicly lashed out at an Indian journalist during a practice session in response to a report about wives and girlfriends being allowed to tour England with the team.
