Bengaluru: Courtship and controversy seem to follow Virat Kohli like a shadow. The Indian Test and Royal Challengers Bangalore captain’s larger than life persona, a glamorous Bollywood girlfriend in Anushka Sharma and his own brashness makes for a heady cocktail. Unfortunately, it also lands him in trouble.
On Sunday, having gone back to the dressing room owing to sudden showers during their chase in the IPL league game against Delhi Daredevils, Kohli came out on the players’ balcony and chatted with Anushka, seated in the adjacent VIP box. This was in clear violation of the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit’s (ACSU) stringent rules which forbids a player from any contact with others during the scheduled hours of play.
At that point of time, the RCB-DD game hadn’t yet been called off and Kohli, blissfully oblivious to the rules and his standing as captain spent a little time with Anushka even as Yuvraj Singh and RCB team-mate Dinesh Karthik looked on. To Kohli’s misfortune, the striking pair, who are a paparazzi’s delight, were beamed live on the giant screen to the delight of thousands at the stadium.
The meeting may have been brief but the ACSU is reportedly livid. “He is the captain of the team, so he is very much aware of the rules. Nobody is allowed to meet players while the match is on. And, players can’t go out of their designated area to meet anyone either. We will look into the matter and inform the BCCI,” an ACSU officer has been quoted as saying. It’s probably a storm in a tea-cup, but right now it’s a ‘Virat’-size controversy!
