"Really immature, not what you expect from an Indian captain" - Gautam Gambhir slams Virat Kohli over stump mic outburst
India captain Virat Kohli was at the heart of the controversy on Thursday. Team India players hit out at the host broadcasters in South Africa over the stump mic after a controversial DRS call on Day 3 of the third Test in Cape Town.
Kohli, vice-captain KL Rahul and Ravichandran Ashwin all went up to the stump mic to have a go at Supersport, the host broadcaster, after Hawkeye showed the ball going over the stumps. The decision in question was the dismissal of Dean Elgar, who reviewed a LBW decision against him.
First, it was Ashwin, saying:
"You should find better ways to win, SuperSport."
Kohli was next to go:
"Focus on your team as well and not just the opposition, trying to catch people all the time."
KL Rahul chipped in:
"Whole country playing against XI guys."
Former India cricketer Gautam Gambhir was not impressed, calling the reactions "exaggerated" and "immature".
Speaking to Star Sports, he said:
"This is really bad. What Kohli did, going near the stump mic and reacting in that manner, that is really immature. This is not what you expect from an international captain, from an Indian captain."
He went on to say that the opposition did not react in such a manner when decisions went against South Africa.
"Then technology isn't in your hand. Then you have reacted in the same manner when there was a caught-behind appeal on the leg-side, neither did Dean Elgar react in that manner. During that Mayank Agarwal appeal, it looked out from the naked eye, but Elgar did not react in that manner," he said.
Virat Kohli chirped away at Dean Elgar after India opted for a DRS review late in the day for a caught behind. Elgar was initially given not out, but after review, it was shown that he had nicked it, and Kohli even gave him a send off.
"Hope Rahul Dravid has a word with Virat Kohli" - Gautam Gambhir
Gautam Gambhir went on to say that players can't expect to be role models with the kind of reaction they showed in Cape Town.
"No matter what you say, stuff like he plays with his heart on his sleeve, this reaction was an exaggerated one and you can't be a role model in this manner. No budding cricketers would want to see this kind of a reaction, especially from the Indian captain," he said.
Gambhir also said he expects head coach Rahul Dravid to have a word with captain Virat Kohli.
"No matter the result in this Test match, this is not what you expect from a Test captain who has led the team for so long. I hope Rahul Dravid has a word with him, because the type of captain Dravid was, he would have never reacted in this manner," Gambhir said.
South Africa will begin Day 4 at 101/2, chasing the 212-run target set by India.