Mohammad Kaif Defends Virat Kohli's 'Leave India' Remark, Says India Captain Unfairly Targeted

Virat Kohli's "leave India" comment to a cricket fan cooked up a massive storm on Twitter with the Indian captain coming under-fire from various quarters. In a controversial video doing the rounds on social media, Kohli is seen telling a fan to go "live somewhere else" for not supporting the Indian team. After receiving a lot flak from other fans, Kohli responded by saying "I guess trolling isn't for me guys, I'll stick to getting trolled!". On Thursday night, former India batsman Mohammad Kaif came to Kohli's defence and said that the Indian skipper was being unfairly targeted and his "statements are twisted according to whatever suits the agenda of people".

The unfair targeting of Kohli just shows how statements are twisted according to whatever suits the agenda of people. He has publicly in the past admired sportsman from across the globe & his statement clearly was in a certain context.But mischievous targeting is a norm for a few

— Mohammad Kaif (@MohammadKaif) November 8, 2018

On Wednesday, in a message sent to Virat Kohli, the cricket fan had said, "I enjoy watching English and Australian batsmen more than these Indian." The fan even took a dig at Kohli's batting saying, "Over-rated batsman. Personally, I see nothing special in his batting."

The comments didn't go down too well with Kohli, especially the "these Indian" bit.

"I don't think you should live in India, go and live somewhere else. Why are you living in our country and loving other countries? I don't mind you not liking me, but I don't think you should live in our country and like other things. Get your priorities right," Kohli said, reacting to the fan's message.

While there was some support for Kohli, most criticised the Indian skipper for his comments.

One of the harshest criticism came from well-known commentator Harsha Bhogle, who took to Twitter to express his displeasure.

Virat Kohli's statement is a reflection of the bubble that most famous people either slip into or are forced into. The voices within it are frequently those that they wish to hear. It is a comfortable bubble and that is why famous people must try hard to prevent it from forming

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) November 8, 2018

According to ANI, the Supreme Court-appointed Committee of Administrators (CoA) also took notice of Kohli's comments and said that it was looking into the matter.

Kohli is a currently on a break from cricket after bering rested for the India vs West Indies T20I series. He will return to action when the Indian team travels to Australia.

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team West Indies Cricket Team Virat Kohli Mohammad Kaif Cricket