Both parties are not really at fault, says Zaheer Khan on Virat Kohli's ‘leave India’ comment

Virat Kohli, recently, dragged himself into controversy by telling a fan to leave India, if he doesn’t like his own country’s players. The incident happened when Virat Kohli was reading the mean tweets on his newly launched app where a fan termed Virat as an “overrated cricketer” and enjoys the game of players from other countries more than Indian batsmen’s game.

Kohli did not take it well and lashed out at the fan by telling that person to leave India and live somewhere else if he doesn’t like or support Indian cricketers or Indian team. Kohli’s video soon went viral on social media and became a national topic with everybody around the country chipping in with their views on it.

People from all over the country expressed their views with some came in support by backing the Indian captain saying he has every right to express his views while others criticized him for his rude comments by terming it as an “unacceptable behaviour” from a player of Kohli’s stature.

Zaheer Khan reacts

Former Indian fast bowler Zaheer Khan weighed in on controversial remark while speaking on a talk show on Aajtak along with Sultan of Multan Virender Sehwag. Zaheer backed both the parties by saying that everybody has the right to freedom of speech and both parties are not really at fault. It is the right of every individual to express his or her views in a free democratic country like India.

“Fans and Virat have equal freedom of speech. India is a democratic country and everybody has freedom of speech. Even the clarification Virat gave it came because he wanted to clearly state his feelings on the matter,” said Zaheer.

Zaheer clearly backed both the parties for expressing their views and rejected the criticism of the statement which had drawn mixed reactions from cricket pundits. Freedom of speech is the fundamental right and every individual, no matter how big a personality he/she is, is allowed to practice it in a democratic country.

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~ Written by Akshay Verma