Captain Virat Kohli has distanced the Indian cricket team from the storm brewing ever since Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul appeared on Koffee With Karan, saying the comments made on the show were “individual opinions”.
“I can definitely say that as the Indian cricket team and responsible cricketers we definitely don’t align with those views and those are purely individual views.”Virat Kohli, Indian Captain
Pandya and Rahul – both part of the Indian squad for a three-match ODI series in Australia starting on Saturday, 12 January – find themselves in the line of fire for their appearance on the popular chat show hosted by Bollywood supremo Karan Johar, with a ban in the offing from the BCCI.
‘Don’t Support Any Inappropriate Comments’
While stating that the team management was waiting for the board to take a decision, Kohli made it amply clear that the team opposed Pandya and Rahul’s “inappropriate” comments, and that the duo would have to “understand the things that have not gone right”.
“From the Indian cricket team point of view, any inappropriate comments that are made in that scenario are something that we definitely don’t support and the two concerned players felt what has gone wrong and they have understood the magnitude of what’s happened.”Virat Kohli, Indian Captain
“From the Indian cricket team's point of view, this changes nothing in our beliefs in the change room, it does nothing to the spirit we have been able to create,” Kohli said while addressing the media ahead of the ODI series opener in Sydney.
“Definitely it has to hit anyone hard, they will definitely understand the things that have not gone right.”
Selection Headache for Kohli & Co.?
The uncertainty around the players’ availability causes a concern around team selection for India a day ahead of the Sydney ODI.
Rahul was unlikely to feature in the playing XI, but with Pandya holding the key role of fast-bowling all-rounder, Kohli admitted that the BCCI’s decision could force the team to rethink its plans.
“From the combination and team balance point of view, yes, you’ll have to think about the combination you’ll need now.”Virat Kohli, Indian Captain
“You don't have control over these things so you have to address it the way it unfolds. That's how we are looking at it, the combinations will have to be looked at when the decision comes out and from there on we'll see what needs to be done about the whole situation,” the Indian skipper added.
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