Bangalore captain Virat Kohli, who was furious after being booed by the Mumbai crowd, said the fans of the Indian T20 League have forgotten that he also plays for the Indian cricket team and their taunts can lead to "hatred among the players".
The fans at the Wankhede stadium booed Kohli after a controversial run-out incident in the first innings of the Mumbai v Bangalore match. Ambati Rayudu, while trying to get back to the crease at the non-striker's end, had his bat grounded initially but it went up in the air after he collided with Vinay Kumar by which time Kohli had effected a direct hit.
After the batsman was given out, Kieron Pollard had a word with Kohli to reconsider the decision and call Rayudu back in the spirit of the game. However, the Bangalore captain decided not to do so, which agitated the crowd who started calling him "cheat".
The 24 year old continued to be taunted by the crowd when he came on to bat and even during the post-match presentation. A livid Kohli had this to say after the match: "As far as the crowd is concerned, it has happened to a few players in the past as well. I don't know why they get so worked up during Indian T20 League. Indian T20 League is not is not the end of the world. And they forget that the players they are booing for also play for their country."
"It is only creating hatred among the players. When I come back and play for India, they are going to cheer for me. It doesn't work that way. You come to Bangalore and you see how Indian players are appreciated," he added.
In the post-match media conference, Kohli again questioned the behaviour of the Mumbai crowd and said it felt a bit weird for him since he also plays for the country.
"I don't know what is wrong with the people in this venue. It feels a bit weird because at the end of the day you play for India and you don't come here to be hated. Whoever wins or loses, in any of the games, you come to Bangalore, every captain is cheered, every Indian player is cheered."
"People appreciate good cricket. I don't know why people have so much aggression and so much hatred towards other teams in this particular venue. As I said, Indian T20 League is not the end of the world," Kohli added.
Speaking about the run-out incident, Kohli said, "Well, it is very important to have knowledge of cricket. If it was any intentional interruption from the bowler then the umpire would have stopped the batsman. It is his job not mine. The umpire told me it was there. The bowler didn't see the batsman and the batsman didn't see the bowler, and they collided. It was perfectly fine to be honest," he said.
"You should have that much cricket awareness to see where the bowler is coming back to his mark. He has to back up when there is no one behind him."
Mumbai all-rounder Dwayne Smith refused to get drawn into the debate and merely said, "It was a case of fair play but you can't do anything about it. They decided to go against it."
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