When I met Virat Kohli, he was cheerful, clicking selfies

Mumbai: “I cannot make you understand. I cannot make anyone understand what is happening inside me. I cannot even explain it to myself,” —  Franz Kafka, The Metamorphosis

This could precisely be the feeling cultivating inside Indian cricketer Virat Kohli’s mind currently. He is an icon and that could be his fault. He is in rough waters for abusing a senior journalist (mistakenly).

It’s true that nothing in the universe is pristine. People make mistakes but Kohli isn’t the scribe’s next door neighbour. To make matters worse, he is likely to be the next Team India skipper who is also dating Bollywood star Anushka Sharma.

Too much glamour in one frame.

No wonder, it becomes impossible to frame him as the concerned boyfriend behind the veil of a superstar. But no individual will tolerate his profession to be linked with the personal life, the reason behind his reaction about an article published on Anushka. It was about her presence in India’s tour of England as the cricketer’s girlfriend among wives of others where Kohli failed to score runs. But here, the writer is not at fault, he reported facts. If Kohli felt uncomfortable, there is a manner how you retaliate.

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Many cricketers rose to prominence because of scribes and there is mutual respect.

However, Kohli is young and a hot-blooded youngster from Delhi. I’m his fan. Being his age, I love the way he wears his heart on his sleeves. He isn’t a hypocrite but he should also know that he can no more roam around India Gate on a bike. The celebrity status – which he attained due to his hard work – snatched that right. So, he needs to check his words. He is brand Kohli now and he can only think of expanding than worsening.

But if you do not tickle him on the personal front, he is a genuine, cheerful gentleman.

Luckily, I never stepped into his bad books. I’m too junior a journalist to do so. Rather, I love his aggression on the pitch. Being an ardent Sourav Ganguly fan, I could see a ‘Dada’ in him.

Read: 'Kohli will do well because he is aggressive and wants to win'

When we met him for first time, at an Indian Premier League press conference, I kept admiring the gentility with which he answered all questions. The words, 'brash' and 'spoilt brat' seemed only Australian.

I met him for the second time at the jersey launch of Indian Super League franchise FC Goa where he bought stakes along with Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan.

Kohli looked jovial, clicking selfies with Dhawan, and saying a “hello” to the media people. Then, it was time for interaction with the press and even before some of us could breathe, came a buckshot. “Did you buy stakes in FC Goa because it has a Bollywood connection through Varun? Are you trying to strengthen your already established deep relationship with Bollywood?” asked an entertainment reporter.

“What connection do I have with Bollywood? What are you trying to say?” was his stern reply. But the reporter reiterated the question.

This is where the crux of the puzzle lies. At times, the journalists do not get the message that “I don’t want to talk about it” and “Your question doesn’t make sense”.

But it is also a paradox. Sensationalism rules the roost and with two celebrities seeing each other, imagine the readership and viewership.

Nonetheless, what Kohli did is indeed wrong. I’ve seen my teachers, seniors in the profession being close to stalwarts like Sachin Tendulkar, Imran Khan among many. The cricketers respect the writers for their contribution to the sport in words.

Let’s hope Kohli learns with time. He is only 26 and needs to know what’s happening to him. 

                                                                                                                                              - a fellow journalist, a fan