Sunil Gavaskar opines on Virat Kohli’s stump mic outburst

Sunil Gavaskar has slammed Virat Kohli for his outburst during the recently-concluded Cape Town Test against South Africa. On Day 3 of the third and deciding Test, controversy took center stage as Proteas skipper Dean Elgar received a shocking lifeline. He went for DRS after being adjudged LBW by the on-field umpire Marais Erasmus off Ravichandran Ashwin’s bowling.

However, the Hawk-eye element of DRS suggested that the ball would have gone over the stumps. Indian players were left baffled and their anger was evident. The then Indian skipper Virat Kohli also lost his cool and vented his frustration near the stump microphone. “Focus on your team while they shine the ball. Not just the opposition. Trying to catch people all the time,” the 33-year-old said while going near the stumps.

Kohli’s outburst caused uproar in the cricket circuit as fans and experts weren’t amused with his behavior. Gavaskar is not happy with the incident either. He believes the stump mic capturing something is one thing but going intentionally near the stumps and saying stuff isn’t good.

Virat Kohli should have avoided his outburst: Sunil Gavaskar

“When you are playing for your country… when you are trying your best to win, every single moment that you are out there, you can lose your composure and cool. If you say something while you are walking, it’s a different matter, but when you go towards a stump mic – you know it is going to pick up stuff – then it doesn’t look good so that was something that was avoidable,” Gavaskar said on Sports Today.

“Tempers are lost on a sporting arena. You see any sports – whether it is football, cricket or any other sport – tempers are lost. I don’t think they were trying to insinuate something But if you look at it, how would we Indians feel if an overseas team captain did this went to the stump mic and say something to the television channel covering the series. We wouldn’t accept it,” the former Indian captain added.

Meanwhile, India went onto suffer a seven-wicket defeat in that game, losing the series 1-2. The two sides will now cross swords in a three-match ODI series, starting from January 19.