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The Indian cricket captain kicked up a minor storm recently. In a video to promote his new app, Kohli, replying to a tweet where someone said that he preferred English and Australian batsmen over him, asked this person not to live in India and get his priorities straight for “loving other countries”. Not surprisingly the dashing batsman, arguably one of the best in the world now, received a lot of flak for his “arrogance” and “attitude”. Even the BCCI was not amused by Kohli’s comments. Its Treasurer Anirudh Chaudhary said he enjoyed watching batsmen from countries other than India, especially the West Indies and Australia. Though the BCCI did not say it in as many words, it certainly did not approve of Kohli’s brand of patriotism.
Kohli, in a damage control exercise the next day, said he was all for “freedom of choice” and asked the fans to “take it light”, whatever that means. Renowned commentator Harsha Bhogle hit the nail on the head when in his tweet he said Kohli’s statement is a reflection of the bubble most celebrities get into, where they surround themselves with “yes men” and tend to only hear things that they want to hear.
But taking a broader perspective, Kohli’s comments are not entirely surprising or vastly different from those of a number of fellow countrymen and women. Sport is something that is “performed” and “consumed” within a political, social and cultural context. So in that sense sports and politics are always inextricably linked. Kohli’s comments can be seen as a reflection of the majoritarian malaise that has been gripping the country for the last few years where there has been a growing acceptance to a very narrow and insular conception of “Indianness” and patriotism and where any form of dissent is seen as unpatriotic. Ironically, it is not just the ruling BJP that has been peddling this view, most other parties, both national and regional, seem happy to play ball. One hopes this minor controversy leads to some genuine introspection both by Kohli and Indian cricket fans on their attitudes.
Senior Deputy Editor
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