It was early on Monday afternoon that the BCCI sent out a press release announcing that Virat Kohli has asked for a break for the duration of the first two Test matches against England. As was expected, social media went into meltdown soon after. There were two different kinds of arguments doing the rounds. First, the naysayers who questioned Kohli and his commitment to the Indian cricket team.
They used the MS Dhoni example. Dhoni had opted to stay on in Australia for a Test series during the birth of his child, and that was reason enough for Kohli’s nationalism and patriotism to be questioned. And may I say, this wasn’t the first time. In 2020,when Kohli returned to India soon after the 36 all out debacle in Adelaide for the birth of his first child, his commitment had been questioned. The social media moral-police diktat was simple- if you miss a Test match in a key series citing personal reasons, you aren’t committed enough to the national cause.
The second argument was from the Viratians. Each of these men and women tried to glorify what Kohli had done and hailed him for putting family first. Some went ahead and argued that he has set an example by sacrificing his professional career and giving more importance to family.
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Virat Kohli will miss the first 2 Tests against England after the star Indian batter withdrew his name citing personal reasons.#INDvENG #ViratKohli #IndiaVsEngland @CricSubhayan @ThumsUpOfficial pic.twitter.com/jzRf3UrnFK
— RevSportz (@RevSportz) January 22, 2024
Neither of these arguments holds ground. By opting out, Kohli is no less a nationalist. He is an ardent supporter of Test cricket and perhaps the best ambassador for the long-form sport at the moment. So whatever the reason, it must be serious enough for him to stay away from something he loves so deeply. And for doing so, no one should cast any aspersions on his commitment to the sport. On the other hand, if someone prioritises sport over the personal, it doesn’t make that individual selfish.
Dhoni, for example, wasn’t selfish when he opted to play for india instead of flying back for the birth of his child. Nor does this mean that Dhoni was or is any less a family man and father. Each of these issues is a matter of personal choice. And it will vary from person to person. There is no benchmark and no index to judge individual choices, and brand them patriotic or otherwise. Rather, such impositions are way off the mark and not even relevant. Kohli is as much a legend of the sport as Dhoni and both have made India proud by their achievements. On the other hand, both are doting fathers who have their own private space which ought to be beyond the remit of any one of us in the public domain.
Just a day or so earlier, England’s Harry Brook opted out of the tour for personal reasons. There was a tweet that castigated him from doing so. A day later, when Kohli did the same, that very Twitter handle posted that he understood why Kohli was doing what he did.,This is where the problem lies. There can’t be different parameters to judge different people, or question someone who is a lesser star. In the end, one can only hope that Kohli is able to take care of his pressing needs as soon as possible and make a return to the Indian team for the third Test in a happy space. All of India will be waiting for him, just as all of India wishes him well in the next two weeks.
Also Read: Hammer Blow for India as Kohli Pulls Out of First Two Tests