Virat Kohli responded to his dismissal off a waist-high full-toss during Sunday’s IPL 2024 match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru, just an hour after he was fined 50% of his match money for displaying disobedience at the umpire’s decision. After being fired amid controversy, Kohli expressed his discontent once again when he liked a post on Mohammad Kaif’s Instagram criticizing the poor quality of officiating in the current Indian Premier League.
Kaif has expressed his views on the matter three times since Kohli’s dismissal: first, via a tweet; second, through a video posted on the same topic; and third, with a new post on the umpiring. “A ball that went beneath Dhoni’s bat is ruled wide after a clear, unplayable beamer removes Kohli from the game. Despite technology, cameras, and replays, blunders like this are still made. Umpiring is poor,” Kaif wrote. The second graphic, which shows a snapshot of the former captain of CSK playing against Lucknow Super Giants, is where Dhoni enters the scene.
Kohli’s response reveals how displeased he is still with the choice. Harshit Rana bowled Kohli after he was out caught by a delivery that nearly struck his chest. Kohli was shocked by the ruling and requested a review, but to his dismay, the third umpire did not alter the verdict. According to the regulations, Kohli was rightfully out since he was outside his crease when the ball struck the bat. The ball tracker’s trajectory would have shown contact at or below his waist if he had stayed in the crease.
Kohli stormed out in a rage, but not before mouthing off to the umpire. He proceeded to the dugout, even smashing a garbage can. Whenever the dismissal was reenacted on the enormous screen, Kohli’s facial emotions conveyed the narrative. His expression of dissatisfaction grew with every viewing. Even Kohli’s opening partner and RCB colleague Faf du Plessis was confused and attempted to make sense of the decision by having his own conversation with the on-field officials.
Virat Kohli was not Done Being Pissed off
Following the game, Kohli was spotted talking with the umpire about his dismissal once more as prominent cricketers from across the globe offered their opinions. While the majority of cricket fans thought Kohli was out, certain former players, such as Kaif, Navjot Singh Sidhu, and Harbhajan Singh, opposed the move. However, it was already too late. Due to his angry outburst at the umpires, Kohli was fined 50% of the match money and violated the Level 1 Code of Conduct. Sidhu’s most recent dosage of ‘Sidhuism’ even served ‘justice’ for him, but it was insufficient to shield him from a punishment from the BCCI. This came about following Du Plessis and the RCB’s ₹12 lakh punishment for continuing to maintain a sluggish over-rate.
But it wasn’t all. Soon after the game ended, Kohli was seen holding a conversation with a few of the young KKR players who were gathered around him. Although it’s unclear exactly what Kohli was discussing with them, some of his hand motions suggested that it could have something to do with his ejection. Even though he is the Orange Cap holder and has scored 379 runs—the one bright spot for RCB in this otherwise dismal campaign—luck may still forsake even the greatest players.
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