India cricket sensation Virat Kohli has been involved in a tense altercation with reporters at Melbourne airport.
Kohli was arriving in the city alongside several members of his family ahead of the Boxing Day Test next week but the 36-year-old appeared to take exception with camera crews outside the arrivals lounge.
Turning to one film crew, he revealed that he had been incensed by the presence of cameras directed at his family.
‘With my kids I need some privacy, you can’t film without asking me,’ the former India captain was overheard saying.
Explaining the situation further, 7News reporter Theo Doropoulos said: ‘It was upon seeing the waiting cameras that Kohli became a little heated over what is largely a misunderstanding when he thought the media was filming him with his children.’
Both Channel 7 and Channel 9 have said that at no stage were Kohli’s children filmed during the family’s arrival.
Virat Kohli was involved in a heated altercation with reporters after he arrived in Melbourne
The India cricket star had arrived with his family and had appeared to become incensed at camera crews
Kohli appeared to clear the air with the film crews, stating: ‘If I’m alone, it’s OK. Did you ask?’
After turning away from the cameras, he returned to speak with reporters to clear the air. He was overheard saying: ‘If I’m alone, it’s OK. Did you ask?’
It is understood that film crews had been at the airport to film Victorian pace bowler Scott Boland but had seen Kohli and his family also leaving the airport.
The India batter, who has more than 270million Instagram followers, is one of the world’s most popular sports stars. In the past, he has endeavoured to keep his family out of the public eye.
It comes as the Border-Gavaskar series is heating up nicely, with Australia and India now level at 1-1, following last-week’s rain-affected Gabba Test.
Kohli has struggled for form over the past two years but his century in Perth, that helped India go ahead in the series, ended his 16-month 100 drought.
In Adelaide, Kohli hit 18 runs across two innings before being dismissed for three runs by Josh Hazlewood, who has taken the India star’s wicket twice during the series.
Hazlewood is now likely to miss the remainder of the series, with Boland in line to return at his home ground next week.
