Australian newspaper accuse Virat Kohli of hurling bottle towards team official

The Decision Review System saga that broke out in the 2nd Test between India and Australia at the Chinnaswamy Stadium doesn’t seem to wear down with a report in the Australian newspaper now accusing Indian captain Virat Kohli and coach Anil Kumble for inappropriate behaviour. On Thursday The Daily Telegraph reported that Virat had hurled a Gatorade bottle which hurt an Australian team official and Kumble went straight into the Umpire’s room to get a clarification for the controversial Virat Kohli decision in the 2nd innings.

The report also claimed that Kumble has regained ‘his role as the puppeteer behind the scenes’ following his role in the infamous Monkey gate scandal which hit the Border-Gavaskar Trophy way back in 2007/08 when the Indians had toured Down Under. “Kohli might be the aggressor in the brazen campaign India is running against Australia’s integrity — even striking an Australian official with an orange Gatorade bottle — but coach Kumble, one of the main instigators of the Monkeygate fiasco, would appear to have reclaimed his role as the puppeteer behind the scenes,” the report said.

“It’s understood Kumble has also made his fury known about the actions of match referee Chris Broad during the Test, complaints which are now to be passed onto the ICC by the BCCI,” the report further added. There was no response on the matter from the Indian team management till now. It also accused Kohli of an outburst in the dressing room following his dismissal on the 3rd day of the Test.

“It can be revealed he (Kohli) unleashed an astonishing outburst in the dressing rooms following his dismissal, smashing a Gatorade bottle off a table, where it then rebounded off a television and struck an Australian team official on the leg. Kohli was also swearing in the direction of the Australian box as he left the field and using a throat-slitting gesture to send-off Peter Handscomb late in the Test,” it said.

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The report ended by claiming Kohli had totally killed the spirit of the game and termed his behaviour as the worst by an international captain.” The spirit of the game notion has been pronounced dead in the game many times before, but Kohli — a law unto himself — would appear to have killed it off once again with his behaviour some of the worst by an international captain since villainous Sri Lankan leader Arjuna Ranatunga.”