Twitterati irked as Virat Kohli was caught chewing gum during the national anthem

National anthem in India is a topic of great debate. It is a sensitive issue bordering on a very fine line. Earlier in the year, the SC issued a ruling mandating all the theatres to play the national anthem prior to the screening of any movie. The move, which was aimed to inspire nationalism amongst the citizens, implied that every individual present in the theatre will have to stand up in order to show respect to the anthem. No sooner than the ruling was declared, debates broke across every part of the country and drew immense criticism.

These debates surrounding the national anthem have become very common in India and with passing time, they are getting intense. Celebrities and sportspersons are often the soft targets in such debates. And the most recent one to face the ire is none other than the Indian cricket team captain, Virat Kohli.

Kohli has always been vocal about his patriotism and has taken immense pride in representing the nation. However, he had to face the wrath of criticism after he was spotted chewing gum during the pre-match national anthem at the Eden Gardens before the 1st Test between Sri Lanka and India commenced. The Indian Twitterati was subsequently left angered and they took to the micro-blogging site to voice their views.

And here are the reactions:

Virat Kohli has seen while
chewing gum during the
national anthem at Eden
Garden !! Which is a little bit
of controversy now !!#INDvSL

— romil gada (@romilgada1) November 17, 2017

Can we have debate on Virat Kohli chewing gum while national anthem is going on ..or was it just meant for Parvez Rasool coz he is Muslim and Virat is Hindu

— anzar (@anzarhussain88) November 17, 2017

Shame

— ZIA UR RAHMAN (@drzia007) November 16, 2017

Jana Gum-a Mana ?

— Ashish Mullick (@ImAshishMullick) November 16, 2017

We cannot expect such a BLUNDER from Indian captain Virat Kohli >_<

What Kohli did during the National Anthem… https://t.co/kCyfPvN3mR

— HEYINDIA (@proudindianweb) November 16, 2017

However, this isn’t the first time a cricketer was spotted chewing gum during the national anthem. J&K all-rounder Parvez Rasool was caught in a similar act during his maiden game and was handed over a vehement castigation for his act.

The national anthem is indeed a symbol of our pride that we take in being Indians. However, before pointing fingers and starting off with the criticism, we must also not overlook the fact that this time it isn’t just any player but the captain of the national side. Thus, being the flagbearer of the nation, it’s Virat’s responsibility to act much more mature as his gestures could propel greater repercussions.

Here is the video that got Rasool in trouble: