When Virat Kohli abused an Indian journalist during 2015 World Cup, forcing BCCI to interfere
The 2015 ODI World Cup campaign was a tense affair for Virat Kohli and the Indian team. The Men in Blue had come into the tournament after a dismal performance in the tri-series against Australia and England and carried the tag of defending champions as well.
Amid all this, tempers and tensions were high despite India's promising start to the campaign, having beaten Pakistan, South Africa, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Ahead of their contest against the West Indies in Perth, Kohli was embroiled in controversy after being accused of abusing a journalist. This led to complaints being registered with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the International Cricket Council (ICC).
The incident cast Kohli, who was already the full-time Test captain by then, in a bad light. According to the journalist involved in the altercation, the ace batter had pointed a finger at him from the dugout and even abused him despite no interaction being initiated. Later, Kohli proceeded to wave and smile from the dressing room and even relayed an apology through another journalist, citing a case of mistaken identity.
According to reports, Kohli had mistaken the journalist as the person behind an article in an English daily that mentioned Anushka Sharma, whom the Indian cricketer married in 2017.
The BCCI were forced to issue a statement after the journalist detailed the incident in an article. While the media release did not mention Virat Kohli, the incident had flared up.
The then-BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur had said in the statement (via ESPNCricinfo):
"The BCCI has been in touch with the Indian team management on this issue, and has advised that this kind of incident should not be repeated. The BCCI respects the role played by the media in covering and popularising the game of cricket, and acknowledges the support of the media, in its mission to administer and promote the game of cricket in India. The BCCI would like to request the concerned parties to move on, and focus on the Indian cricket team's campaign in the ongoing World Cup."
The board even reportedly instructed Virat Kohli to "maintain the dignity of the Indian team at all times, and avoid any such behavior in the future."
Virat Kohli has had several flare-ups and tense moments with the media over the years
Having led the Indian side across formats in the past, Virat Kohli has been at the receiving end of the media's relentless queries for years. While the majority of the questions are regarding regulation information pertaining to the game, the line has been crossed by both parties on a few occasions.
The 35-year-old batter has often snapped at media personnel over their questions. During India's tour of New Zealand in 2020, Kohli asked a journalist to come up with a better question after his on-field aggression and demeanor were questioned. He was also involved in a verbal exchange with a journalist after the tour of England in 2018.