Kohli has been asked to avoid such abusive behaviour in future: BCCI - Hindustan Times

The BCCI on Thursday tried to put to rest the controversy surrounding cricketer Virat Kohli's abusive behaviour with a Hindustan Times journalist after the Indian cricket team's training session in Perth on Tuesday.

BCCI Secretary Anurag Thakur said the board has asked the concerned player (Virat Kohli) to avoid any such behaviour in the future. "The BCCI has taken note of the incident that occurred at Perth a couple of days ago. The BCCI has been in touch with the Indian team management on this issue, and has advised that this kind of incident should not be repeated," said Thakur, in a statement.

"The player in question (Kohli) has been told to maintain the dignity of the Indian team at all times, and avoid any such behaviour in the future," Thakur said.

Thakur also acknowledged the role of media in popularising the game of cricket in the country and its support towards BCCI's mission to administer and promote the game of cricket in India.

Terming the incident as a case of mistaken identity, Thakur urged the concerned parties to put the issue to rest and allow the Indian team to focus on their performance in the ongoing tournament.

“We do not wish to build further pressure on Virat right now. The priority is to win the World Cup and in the interest of the team we feel this is the best recourse as of now. I am not saying that Virat should not apologise for his behavior, just that as of now it’s not the right time,” BCCI’s secretary Anurag Thakur told HT.

When pressed that surely it’s not too much to ask for if the batsman speaks to the journalist in question, Thakur said, “The issue is about whether we wish to disturb the mental makeup of one of our key players just now. We feel there will be enough time after the tournament to handle all this.”

Thakur was also candid enough to stress that relationship between the team and the press needs to improve. “We do not want to make any changes during such an important tournament but I can assure you that going forward things will change.”

Defending Champions India play their fourth cricket World Cup match on Friday against West Indies on the fast and bouncy WACA wicket.

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(With PTI inputs)