Staff Reporter.
India head coach Rahul Dravid said Virat Kohli had dealt well with an invasion of his privacy at a Perth hotel and the batter was in good spirits ahead of their Twenty20 World Cup clash with Bangladesh on Wednesday.
People entered Kohli’s hotel room and posted a video of his clothes and belongings on social media on Monday and the former India skipper said in an Instagram post that he felt “very paranoid” about his privacy.
“It was disappointing. It’s not very comfortable for anyone, let alone Virat,” Dravid told reporters in Adelaide on Tuesday.
“We’ve flagged it with the relevant authorities. They have taken action and hopefully, incidents like this will not happen in future. Hopefully, people are a lot more careful because it’s the only place where you’re away from people’s prying eyes and without the media glare on you.
“That’s not a really nice feeling but he’s dealt with it well. He’s fine, he’s here at training and absolutely perfect.”
Crown Resorts said they were aware of the footage filmed by a contractor working at its Burswood hotel and casino complex and apologised to Kohli. They said they had taken immediate steps to rectify the issue.
Meanwhile Dravid said Tuesday they are shutting out criticism of KL Rahul and backed the opening batsman to come good at the Twenty20 World Cup.
India’s vice-captain has failed to get into double figures in three matches as the tournament in Australia moves towards the business end.
India play Bangladesh in Adelaide on Wednesday in a tough group led by South Africa. India are second and will take a significant step to the semifinals with a win.
Rahul’s scores of four, nine and nine have been a major talking point after the team went down to South Africa in their previous match, but Dravid is unfazed by the chatter.
“I think he is a fantastic player. He has got a proven track record,” Dravid told reporters of the under-pressure Rahul.
“He is actually playing really well and I’m hoping it all clicks together in the next three or four games.”
Former India wicketkeeper Farokh Engineer was unimpressed with Rahul’s technique at Perth after he fell to South African quick Lungi Ngidi.
“Their first problem is opening batsman KL Rahul, who is terribly out of form,” Engineer wrote in a column for Khaleej Times.
“The way he was out, it was like he was giving catching practice. He just glided the ball into the first slip. An opening batsman doesn’t do that!”
Pressed further on Rahul’s form, Dravid said: “We don’t get swayed by what is said outside.
“We have the confidence and belief in our players, especially in this T20 format, which is such a high-risk format that you are asking people to play a high-risk brand of cricket.”
