Just when the controversies regarding the second test between India and Australia was fading away, a leading Australia daily has made a weird claim against Indian skipper Virat Kohli and coach Anil Kumble. The Daily Telegraph from Australia has accused the Indian captain, and coach of misbehaviour during the Bangalore test. The newspaper said that Kohli was agitated and hurled an energy drink at an Australian official when the match was going on. The daily also targetted Kumble by writing that he is just a ‘puppeteer behind the scenes.
On Kohli: The Daily Telegraph said, “Kohli might be the aggressor in the brazen campaign India is running against Australia’s integrity — even striking an Australian official with an orange Gatorade bottle — but coach Kumble, one of the main instigators of the Monkeygate fiasco, would appear to have reclaimed his role as the puppeteer behind the scenes.”
The report accused Kumble of storming into the umpires’ room seeking clarification over Kohli’s dismissal in the first innings.
It added, “Under ICC laws Kohli as a Test captain is supposed to be a custodian for the spirit of the game, yet in addition to his relentlessly aggressive on-field behaviour, it can be revealed he unleashed an astonishing outburst in the dressing rooms following his dismissal, smashing a Gatorade bottle off a table, where it then rebounded off a television and struck an Australian team official on the leg.”
On Kumble: “International coaches have access to the officials’ box, but it’s highly unusual for them to make contact mid-match, and Kumble’s actions appear indicative of India’s overall attitude that they can dictate to the lawmakers of the game.”
The daily said that, during the infamous Monkeygate episode, Kumble, then a player questioned the integrity of Aussie skipper Ricky Ponting by saying, “Only one team is playing in the spirit of the game.”
