Virat Kohli has reacted to a post by Mohammad Kaif that criticised the poor standard of umpiring in IPL 2024 following the RCB star’s controversial dismissal.
Approximately one hour after being fined 50 percent of his match fee for showing dissent at the umpire’s decision, Virat Kohli has reacted to his dismissal off a waist-high full-toss during Sunday’s IPL 2024 game featuring Kolkata Knight Riders and Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Kohli, whose dismissal led to a storm, showed his displeasure yet again when he liked an Instagram post from Mohammad Kaif that slammed the sub-par standard of umpiring in the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League.
Virat Kohli was livid. (AFP)
Since Kohli’s dismissal, Kaif has voiced his opinion three times, first tweeting about it, then posting a video on the same and now sharing a fresh post on the umpiring. “Clear unplayable beamer gets Kohli out and a ball that passed under Dhoni’s bat declared wide. Cameras, replays, technology but still such mistakes being made. Poor umpiring,” Kaif posted. Where Dhoni comes into the picture is the second slide, which captured a screenshot of the former CSK captain in action against Lucknow Super Giants.
HT launches Crick-it, a one stop destination to catch Cricket, anytime, anywhere. Explore now! Virat Kohli liked Mohammad Kaif’s post. (Screengrab/Kaif-Insta)
The reaction of Kohli states just how miffed he still is with the decision. Kohli was out caught and bowled by Harshit Rana to a ball that hit his bat almost chest high. Surprised by the decision, Kohli took the review but to his horror, the third umpire did not change the decision. As per the rules, since Kohli was outside his crease when the ball hit the bat, he was legitimately out. Had he stayed within the crease, the trajectory according to the ball tracker would have shown contact at or below his waist.
A furious Kohli walked off, but not without mouthing off the umpire. He even smashed a trash can on his way to the dugout. Each time the dismissal was replayed on the giant screen, Kohli’s expressions told the story. The disappointment on his face exceeded with each viewing. Even Faf du Plessis, Kohli’s opening partner and RCB teammate was perplexed as he tried to make sense of the decision by getting into a discussion of his own with the on-field officials.
Virat Kohli’s displeasure didn’t stop there
After the match, Kohli was seen discussing his dismissal again with the umpire as cricketing personalities from all over the world weighed in. While most believed Kohli was out, certain ex-cricketers were against the motion, including Kaif, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Harbhajan Singh. But by then, it was too late. Kohli’s outburst at the umpires cost him 50 percent match fee and a breach of Level 1 Code of Conduct. He was even served ‘justice’ by Sidhu’s latest dose of ‘Sidhuism’, but it couldn’t prevent him from receiving a punishment from the BCCI. This was after RCB and Du Plessis were already fined ₹12 lakh for maintaining a slow over-rate.
That wasn’t all. Well after the match got over, Kohli was spotted having an animated discussion with some of the KKR youngsters surrounding him. While it’s uncertain what it is exactly that Kohli was talking to them about, certain hand gestures from him indicated that it could well have something to do with the dismissal. Kohli may be the holder of the Orange Cap having scored 379 runs – RCB’s only shining light in this otherwise forgettable campaign – but sometimes, luck deserts even the best.
