An open letter to Virat Kohli

Boss,

This is regarding the recent turn of events which has resulted in the Mumbai crowd pissing you off and vice-versa. No, I’m not talking about the Cinthol ad commercial, but about the cricket match wherein you were labelled, by the 40,000 people supporting their local team, as a “cheat”. So why this letter? It’s because, I was right there, cheering for my team, consequently waiting for the cheer leaders to do their thing. And I’ll confess, I did shout along with the other 39,999 supporters. Another confession; I did the Gangnam, much better than Bhajji. Before you start feeling that I’m acting condescending, let me tell you, I’m not. I’m part of the crowd and I still am in that mould.

Your anger against the crowd is thoroughly justified because judging/calling someone a “cheat” who just follows the rules of the game and acts accordingly is absolutely not justified. The match at Wankhede had almost everything. Sachin, Gayle, Cheer leaders, loud music and a camera focusing on us every now and then. Do you know how it feels when you are watching a match devoid of that cliched Ravi Shastri commentary? It only adds to the exhilaration. You and I know the game but you know it better, obviously. But then, the one thing that we know in common is fairness (I’m not talking about the cream you endorse) towards the game. And yes, we have our own versions of fairness.

But then, who are these people who called you a cheat? 40,000 cricket lovers who still have a lot of faith in the game. So, when I say a lot of faith, I say that because these are the people who are willing to pay more than a couple of thousands to just catch a glimpse of those emotions that they usually watch in slow-mo. There are a lot cynics and conspiracy theory experts who have called you and your team disloyal. These are those cricket fans who back you and your commitment to the game.

I still vividly remember how Dhoni called Bell back to the crease after rightly dislodging the bails. What all of us thought was unfair at that time was just the following of protocols according to you. Which is fair. But, for us, this would’ve been the ideal action. Which is again fair if you really didn’t consider this option.

Let me try and give you some insight to the crowd’s mentality. Think of them as a kid who cheers for his school bus as it overtakes the other. Or else, think of them as really passionate people who love their cricket. Else, just think of them as all of Australia’s population who don’t make it to the playing 11 (but waiting for their turn owing to the rotation policy) filling up the stadium. Just like you and Gautam Gambhir play hard cricket, similarly consider us to be hard and really touchy supporters. If you can fight with your countryman, so can we. Fair, no?

Moreover, we idolize a person who has shown us and the world that humility is the prime ingredient towards attaining greatness. For us, that is ideal. This man was heckled, booed and criticized by his own crowd too, but then it really didn’t matter to him. He has a bigger purpose than to react to words from these 40,000 cricket fans and as a result, doesn’t really give a butterfly’s fart towards people’s approval. You are, by far, a very passionate cricketer and your commitment towards the game is totally respected. My point is, do you really have to give in to what they feel at that point of time?

In other words, boss, don’t take us seriously. Just like you had a minor spat with Gambhir, consider us to be that one voice who really don’t mean what they say. And I’m not talking about Ravi Shastri.

P.S: If it happens again, you can blame it on the Cinthol Ad.