Virat Kohli Dismisses Trump Comparisons With A Dig At Australian Media

Virat Kohli's constant friction with the Australians have taken immense proportions with sections of the Australian press taking up their team's cause and running almost a campaign against the India skipper as a backdrop to the closely-contested Test series. One of the issues that have really snowballed is Kohli being compared with US President Donald Trump by the Daily Telegraph. This has spurred widespread responses, right from Bollywood to cricketers from both sides.

Kohli himself was contemptuously dismissive of the whole thing, and took a dig at the Australian journalist in question when asked about the issue at Dharamsala, ahead of the crucial 4th Test. He said that so many people were being affected by one individual.

"I have faced this initially in my career and have faced this many times in my career," Kohli said during the pre-match press briefing, talking about the scrutiny by the foreign media.

"I have always stuck by the right thing, have done the right thing. Always said what I wanted to because I feel it's right. I have no regrets about it, have nothing to go back and change and the only thing is that so many people are being affected by this one individual. They are selling their news, good luck to them.

"It is something that is happening on the outside and I try and look in the inside, what are the things I improve upon as a cricketer and as a person and what my team mates think about me and what my close ones think about me. These don't bother me, it never mattered to me," Kohli said.

The Daily Telegraph had called Kohli 'the Donald Trump of world sport', a statement which generated responses from an array of people, ranging from Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan to cricket star Yuvraj Singh.

"Virat Kohli has become the Donald Trump of world sport. Just like President Trump, Kohli decided to blame the media as a means of trying to hide the egg smeared right across his face," the article in the Daily Telegraph had said.

The acrimony between the Australian team and Kohli had become massive in Bengaluru when the India skipper stopped just short of calling rival skipper Steve Smith a cheat in the now-famous 'brain fade' issue.

(With PTI inputs)