Published 10:13 IST, December 9th 2019
Virat Kohli loses his cool over 'MS Dhoni' crowd chants as Rishabh Pant drops catch
Virat Kohli had something to say when the crowd reacted to a missed catch by wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant by chanting MS Dhoni’s name. Read to know what he said
- SportFit
- 3 min read
India skipper Virat Kohli was clearly unhappy with India’s fielding display as West Indies won the second T20I by 8 wickets in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday. To add to that, Kohli had something to say when the crowd reacted to a missed catch by chanting MS Dhoni’s name after wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant dropped a catch. Here is what the Indian captain expressed.
Virat Kohli unhappy with Kerala crowd
The Kerala crowd, who had earlier given local boy Sanju Samson the loudest cheer prior to the match when the Indian players were practising, were disappointed when Samson was not named in the playing XI. So when Pant dropped a chance in the fifth over off Bhuvneshwar Kumar's bowling, the crowd let its feelings towards Pant known. Kohli, however, was disappointed. He turned to the crowd expressing his anguish and seemed to gesture that they should chant Pant’s name as he was the wicketkeeper on the field for India.
Kohli had earlier said that if Pant missed a catch or stumping, people cannot shout Dhoni's name. It was not respectful if he had to put it that way because no player would like that to happen. The captain feels if that the match is played in India, every home player has to get more support from the crowd, who should not always think about what mistake he is going to make. No one wants to be in that position. India vice-captain Rohit Sharma had echoed Kohli's view earlier as well that Pant needed to be left alone.. Kohli added that he was a match-winner, and once he comes good, people will see a different version of him which he has shown in the IPL already because he is free and relaxed there. Pant made amends by pulling off a stumping later in the innings. In the India innings too, Pant played a quick cameo of 33 from 22 balls, as India posted a respectable 170 in their 20 overs. The series now moves to Mumbai for the final T20I on Wednesday, December 11.
Updated 11:07 IST, December 9th 2019