Indian great Virat Kohli loses his cool in heated airport clash

The heat of the Border-Gavaskar Test battle might be getting to Virat Kohli after he clashed with reporters at Melbourne Airport.

Indian superstar Virat Kohli didn’t take kindly to television cameras filming his arrival at Melbourne Airport on Thursday.

The 36-year-old landed in Melbourne from Brisbane after the completion of the third Test at the Gabba, which ended in a draw after heavy rain regularly interrupted play.

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The teams are locked at 1-1 with two Tests remaining in a high stakes and at times fiery battle for the Border-Gavaskar trophy and a place in next year’s World Test Championship (WTC) final.

Kohli was seen in a couple of heated exchanges with journalists and took exception to cameras capturing images of his children.

“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,” Channel 7 reporter Theo Doropoulos said.

Watch the exchange in the video player above

Virat Kohli took exception to the TV cameras. Photo: Channel 7

Kohli speaking to reporters at Melbourne Airport. Photo: Channel 7

The cameras were actually on hand to shoot Scott Boland arriving in Melbourne, the Aussie quick who is set to replace the injured Josh Hazlewood for the clash at the MCG starting on Boxing Day.

In the footage, Kohli is seen addressing journalists and then starting to walk away, before he returned to speak directly to the cameras catching all the action.

“With my kids I need some privacy, you can’t film without asking me,” he said.

After further discussions with the media, Kohli seemed to be appeased and his children are not seen in the footage that has been aired.

South Africa currently lead the WTC standings, with Australia, India and New Zealand rounding out the top four.

Virat Kohli has produced one innings of note so far in the series. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

The top two teams at the end of the 2023-25 schedule will face off in next year’s final, to be held at Lord’s in June.

India lost last year’s decider to Australia.

Following a drought-breaking century in the first Test in Perth, Kohli has scored seven, 11 and three runs in three subsequent innings.

The incident came as more information dropped about Kohli’s long-term teammate and spinning great Ravichandran Ashwin’s snap retirement following the Brisbane Test.

Ashwin reportedly told Indian team management he did not want to tour Australia for the Border-Gavaskar series unless he was guaranteed a spot in the playing XI.

Ravichandran Ashwin announced his retirement on Wednesday. (Photo by Saeed KHAN/AFP)

It has been a fiery Test series at times. (Photo by David GRAY/AFP)

The Test he did play, in Adelaide, came only after Rohit Sharma arrived Down Under and insisted the off-spinner be recalled – yet a fuming Ashwin had to be convinced by the captain to take the field.

Those bombshell details came in a Press Trust of India report, as the cricket-mad nation comes to terms with the sudden end of a great career.

Ashwin, who took 537 Test wickets from 106 matches at an average of 24, gave a press conference after the third Test to announce his international cricket career was over, mid-series.

He didn’t take questions, saying “it’s truly a very emotional moment and I don’t think I’m in a position where I would be answering the questions in the right way” and was gone from the press podium in less than two minutes.

Australia won last year’s ICC World Test Championship final over India. (Photo by Alex Davidson-ICC/ICC via Getty Images)

Ashwin was set to leave Australia on Wednesday, in a stunning mid-series exit that few had foreseen.

Rohit said the 38-year-old had all but quit after his first Test omission.

“When I arrived in Perth, this was a chat we had, and I somehow convinced him to stay for that pink-ball Test match. Then after that, it just happened,” Rohit revealed.

“He felt that if I am not needed right now in the series, I am better off saying goodbye to the game.”

It is an extraordinary end to a fine India career. Ashwin trails only fellow spinner Anil Kumble (619) for all-time Test wickets for his country.

Originally published as Indian great Virat Kohli loses his cool in heated airport clash