“Virat Kohli has handled the Crown Perth issue well,” says head coach Rahul Dravid
Kohli revealed a breach of privacy in his Perth hotel room in a video broadcast on social media on Monday. The video, which was first posted on TikTok by an unnamed user, showed a tour of the room and was titled “King Kohli’s hotel room.”
The released footage of the batting legend’s personal stuff included his opened luggage, health supplements, and shoe collections. Kohli’s protest quickly went viral, and the hotel got harsh criticism from a number of individuals, including Australian opener David Warner and Virat’s lovely wife Anushka Sharma.
“I realise that fans feel really thrilled and enthusiastic seeing their favourite players and getting pumped to meet them, and I’ve always liked that,” Kohli wrote while posting the footage of his breach of privacy at the team hotel.
“But this video is horrifying, and it has made me very concerned about my privacy. If I can’t have privacy in my own hotel room, how can I expect to have any personal space at all? This kind of fanaticism and breach of privacy is not acceptable to me. Please respect people’s privacy and do not use them for entertaining purposes,” he concluded.
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Crown Towers, the hotel where the Indian team stayed during their match against South Africa in Perth on Sunday, as well as during a ten-day preparatory camp in the city before the start of the Men’s T20 World Cup, has apologised “unreservedly” to Kohli and stated that the individuals involved in the act have been removed.
Virat Kohli has handled the Crown Perth issue well, according to head coach Rahul Dravid, following a violation of privacy in which his personal things were photographed.
“It’s undeniably disappointing. It’s not pleasant for anyone, let alone Virat. It’s disheartening. However, we have raised it with the appropriate authorities. They’ve taken steps,” Dravid made the remarks during the pre-match news conference before of India’s match against Bangladesh on Wednesday in Adelaide.
Virat Kohli has shared disturbing footage of what appears to be strangers recording a video in his hotel room.
📸 Instagram/virat.kohli#T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/Cq9Dr2uzWc
— Nic Savage (@nic_savage1) October 31, 2022
Dravid said that a hotel room is one area where players feel safe away from the media and public, and when that privacy is violated, it is not a pleasant feeling.
“It’s the one place you aspire to feel protected and comfortable. That’s gone, and it’s not a good sensation. But I believe he has handled it admirably. He’s all right. He’s in training right now. He’s wonderful in every way. We’ve raised it with the appropriate authorities, and that’s all we can do.”
The India head coach also stated that Kohli has put everything behind him and seems to be in fine form on the eve of the next match against Bangladesh in Adelaide, after the Indian team management raised the issue with the relevant authorities and prompt action was taken.
It has also been claimed that the Indian team simply protested to Crown Perth and did not raise the situation to Cricket Australia (CA) or the International Cricket Council (ICC). According to the sources, the hotel has immediately terminated the employment of the staff guilty for this incident.
“We unreservedly apologise to the guest involved and will continue to take the necessary steps to ensure this remains an isolated incident. Crown has taken immediate steps to rectify the issue. The individuals involved have been stood down and removed from the Crown account, and the original video was swiftly removed from the social media platform,” stated the hotel authorities.
“Crown is conducting an investigation with the third-party contractor and will take any further steps necessary to ensure an incident of this nature does not happen again. We are also cooperating with the Indian Cricket team and the International Cricket Council to convey our apologies and will continue to work with them as we progress the investigation,” said their official statement.
Virat Kohli and his wife Anushka Sharma are very cautious about their family’s personal space, particularly the privacy of their one-year-old daughter Vamika. The couple has often asked photographers and paparazzi not to shoot their kid.
This World Cup, Kohli has been in great shape. His Individual genius (82* off 53 balls) helped India beat Pakistan in the first game, and he followed that up with another solid half-century against the Netherlands, which also helped India win that game. Kohli looked good until he got out in the game against South Africa where he was out trying to hook a ball from Lungi Ngidi.
