Azhar’s right, Kohli should turn up

A lookwhorsquostalking WhatsApp message landed up It referred to Mohammed Azharuddin slamming Virat Kohli for not attending the postmatch India v New Zealand press conference on Sunday nightThe sender remembered how Azharuddin once tucked into his sandwich as he addressed the media Thatrsquos true and I was there when it happenedmdashat the Cooch Behar Room of the Cricket Club of Indiamdashduring the preNew Zealand tour media briefing in 1999 I remember the same fellow journalist who sent the WhatsApp message telling then coach Anshuman Gaekwad that his captain should finish eating his sandwich before taking questions I also recall being told that Azharuddin once clipped his toenails as he addressed the mediaItrsquos probably safe to assume that the Hyderbadi batting stylist didnrsquot enjoy turning up at press conferences during his long stint as India captain 1990 to 1996 and 1998 to 1999 However Azharuddin was right about Kohli not playing down the right line when it came to appearing before the mediaSure the troubled India captain said after the eightwicket loss to the Kiwis that his team were not brave enough while tackling the spirited New Zealanders in Dubai But that was at the postmatch presentation which is different from a press conference where the arrows are more pointed and the person behind the microphone has to answer some tough questions Silly ones too I must add the prime example being the one suggesting that he should have dropped Rohit Sharma to play Ishan Kishan against Pakistan on October 24Kohli was justified in displaying his displeasure over the daft question and to get an illcrafted illogical and inane one immediately after a defeat to Pakistan must have been annoying in the extremeThat said Kohli should have turned up after the loss to New Zealand There was much to explain For starters the public through a question from the media would have got to know why the Indian team did not take the knee like they did in the opening gameA lot of things in Indian cricket go unanswered and it is hoped that an explanation be forthcoming Until then are we to assume that not everyone in the team wants to support the Black Lives Matterany antiracism movement or were they asked to do it by the ICC only for the first match of the tournamentTo send Jasprit Bumrah to deal with the media after the eightwicket loss to New Zealand bordered on the bizarre If Kohli was in no mood to address the media why wasnrsquot vicecaptain Rohit Sharma sent Or head coach Ravi Shastri for that matter The explanation of why Rohit had to drop down to No3 to make way for his Mumbai Indians teammate Ishan Kishan was provided by batting coach Vikram Rathour two days after the game against New Zealand This could have been done by the man himself since Kohli chose not to meet the press on Sunday nightAzharuddin was spot on while speaking to ABP news ldquoThere is no shame in losing But you need to come and speak up That is the right thing to do People will listen to you and at least get to know the reason behind the loss There is a difference between Bumrah speaking or a coachcaptain speakingldquoIt is important to face the public You will have to face the nation and come and speak If you donrsquot come what will people think Needless rumours are going to be spreadrdquoKohli earned high praise for the manner in which he spoke up for his fast bowler Mohammed Shami a day before the New Zealand battle His statement made it to the nonsports pages of leading newspapers ldquoThe clarity of Kohlirsquos statement its refusal to duck behind pieties and euphemisms has enormous significance While former cricketers had sought to defend Shami by excusing a rare lsquooff dayrsquo they chose to elide the communal nature of the abuse Shami facedrdquo said The Indian Express in its Editorial Cynics though felt Kohli played it late and he could have tweeted his displeasure when the abuse started gaining momentum Also Kohli reacted to a question on the trolls and itrsquos not that he turned up and reacted before the Q and A sessionWhether there is merit in that view or not Kohli spoke from the heart And what must have pleased the scribes at the press conference was how he continued spewing venom on the issue despite the BCCI media manager thwarting another question on the subjectConsidering the plaudits Kohli attracted through his tough talk he should do more press conferencesmdashwin or losemiddayrsquos group sports editor Clayton Murzello is a purist with an open stance He tweets ClaytonMurzelloSend your feedback to mailbagmiddaycomThe views expressed in this column are the individualrsquos and donrsquot represent those of the paper