Maintain the dignity of the Indian team and avoid such behaviour: BCCI warns Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli has found himself in the eye of the storm after his row with a journalist

With the controversy surrounding Virat Kohli’s alleged abuse and misbehaviour with a journalist during India’s practice session in Perth ahead of their Pool B World Cup encounter against West Indies at Perth reaching a boiling point, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has been compelled to issue a response to the recent developments and seek to put an end to the matter that threatens to derail India’s World Cup campaign.

In a statement issued by newly-appointed BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur, the board said: “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.

“The BCCI respects the role played by the media in covering and popularizing the game of cricket, and acknowledges the support of the media, in its mission to administer and promote the game of cricket in India.

“The player in question has been told to maintain the dignity of the Indian team at all times, and avoid any such behaviour in the future.

“The BCCI would like to request the concerned parties to move on, and focus on the Indian cricket team’s campaign in the ongoing ICC CWC 2015.”

India have got off to a fantastic start in the ongoing World Cup having defeated Pakistan, South Africa and United Arab Emirates (UAE) by comprehensive margins and will want to continue their impressive run against the West Indians tomorrow, rather than allow such off-field distractions to impact them.