5 Instances When Indian Cricketers Lost Their Composure In Front Of The Media

Chats with media outlets and press conferences was not a mandate for cricketers in ancient times. However, it is at present. As much as the cricketers need to maintain their composure on the field with their teammates, they require it when dealing with the journalists too. It has become an imperative part of being a sportsperson.

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The players have to address the media even after their team’s good performances and unsatisfactory ones. But over the years, a handful of Indian cricketers have lost their coolness in certain press conferences. Some of the questions from journalist might have irked them, resulting in an outrage.

We take a look at five Indian cricketers who lost their calmness in front of the media:

Mithali Raj:

Mithali Raj perhaps the greatest women’s cricketer India has ever had. Having made her debut in 1999, Mithali Raj is the highest run-getter in women’s ODIs with 6888 runs. In T20Is, with 2364 runs, she is the highest run-getter for India. Additionally, the veteran serves as the captain of the ODI team too.

Once Mithali was asked by a journalist, who was her favourite male cricketer? She responded by answering one should ask the male players who their favourite female cricketer is and that she has always been asked this.

“Do you ask them who their favourite female cricketer is? I have always been asked who’s your favourite cricketer but you should ask them who their favourite female cricketer is,” Mithali replied.

Kapil Dev:

Kapil Dev’s name is etched as one of the greatest all-rounders the world has ever seen and the best India ever had. Kapil Dev’s most significant moment came along when he captained India to their maiden World Cup victory in 1983. India entered the final as underdogs but managed to gun down the mighty Caribbeans to lift the trophy.

Nevertheless, the Haryana Hurricane has faced match-fixing allegations too, which he always denied. Once, when asked about his involvement on national tv, the all-rounder could not control himself and declared “I will commit suicide rather than take a bribe. Who wants money. Take all my money. I come from a family where pride is more important than anything,”

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Yuvraj Singh:

Former Indian all-rounder Yuvraj Singh was a two-time World Cup winner, having debuted in 2000. Yuvraj Singh played chief roles in India’s 2007 T20 World Cup victory and four years later the 50-over World Cup triumph at home. In the latter, the southpaw earned the man of the tournament award.

In 2016, Yuvraj attended an event at the “Virat Kohli foundation” in Mumbai. During the occasion, a media person asked the cricketer about the Indian captaincy of Virat Kohli and who should assume the leadership. He reverted by saying that he is here to talk about the event and not the sport.

The media furnished the story mentioning “Yuvraj loses temper” and later the 38-year old blasted the media, clarifying he was not furious. Yuvraj Singh later replied on his Twitter account “to kya galat bola ji I’m here to to talk about the event not cricket !not angry at all just being professional! Kuch bhi,”

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MS Dhoni:

MS Dhoni, who recently announced his retirement from international cricket, was known for his calmness no matter the situation. Due to his level-headedness, MS Dhoni has secured all three ICC trophies for the Indian team and emerge tall under from crunch situations. The keeper-batsman slightly lost his composure after a game in the 2016 ICC World T20.

It was after the clash against Bangladesh in Bangalore, which the hosts won by one run. India scored a modest total of 145 in their 20 overs. In the last four balls, Bangladesh seemed to be cruising but lost the plot by losing Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah in consecutive deliveries. Hardik Pandya, who was new to international cricket that time, defended nine in the last over.

A journalist asked Dhoni, who served as the captain then that how could India improve their net run-rate if played like this. He told “Listen to me. Hearing you, your tone and your question, it’s clear that you aren’t happy that India has won. And when talking about a cricket match, there’s no script. It’s not about the script. You have to analyse that after losing the toss, what was the reason that we couldn’t make many runs on that wicket. If you aren’t analysing these things sitting outside, then you shouldn’t ask this question,”

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Virat Kohli:

Indian captain Virat Kohli is one of the prominent cricketers today and probably has established himself as an all-time great. Virat Kohli’s downside includes losing his composure too quickly; however, the same aggressiveness and fiery attitude have served him well.

On this occasion, it was after the Indian captain attended the press conference after his team lost the second Test against South Africa in Centurion. A journalist asked Kohli about his habit of changing and chopping, subsequently facing questions about the same. In response to that, below is the Delhi batsman’s conversation with the journalist.

Kohli: How many Test matches have we won out of 30?

Journalist: How many have you changed the starting line-up?

Kohli: How many have we won? How many have we won?

Journalist: How many have you changed the line-up for?

Kohli: 21 wins, two losses. How many draws?

Journalist: How many in India?

Kohli: It doesn’t matter. Wherever we play, we try to do our best. I’m here to answer your questions man, not to fight with you.

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