Virat Kohli ‘not comfortable’ with being followed by cameras:RCB legend bats for player privacy; says ‘love the pressure of the game’

It goes without saying that social media, cameras, content and a push for virality have become a part of how cricket is presented. While, from the fan engagement point of view, these are welcome developments, things can get bothersome for cricketers at times. Virat Kohli is certainly a part of that camp. The RCB legend is one of the best cricketers of this generation and expectedly, the cameras chase him everywhere he goes. Even if it’s training, chitchat with teammates or even a simple walk, Kohli hardly fails to garner media attention. And the 37-year-old is not very fond of it. Speaking on the RCB podcast, the star cricketer explained his perspective on the constant cameras around him amid the growing content culture, among other things. ‘You walk to practice and have six cameras following you, not a comfortable feeling’ While acknowledging that social media is a big part of the commercial aspect of the game, Kohli called for a bit of streamlining. “Social media is a huge part of the commercial representation or the fan engagement for any team, which is understandable. But I honestly, hand on heart, genuinely feel like there has to be a bit more streamlining,” he said. “If you look at the growth of the official fan clubs or the official fan pages of teams, it has taken place after a long period of time, when the IPL was already in play. So it’s not a thing that people are ready for from day one,” added Kohli. Kohli went on to state the need for player freedom and privacy and that the growing culture of being filmed can lead to a compromise on the part of authenticity. He explains, “Immediately you walk to practice and you have six cameras following you, it’s not a comfortable feeling at all. As a sportsperson, you need to have the ability and the freedom to work on your game in peace. If everything you do is an opportunity to film, display or dissect, then you’re not organic. ” The cricket great explains why he doesn’t like being filmed, “Judge me on my performances during the game. During the lead-up, no one has the right to judge me on what I’m doing in terms of my preparation, the things I’m trying in the nets,” he said. Calling for a need for players to have a say in being filmed, he added, “So I just feel like there has to be a bit more streamlining in terms of understanding how much to do, when to do, is the player okay with being filmed at all times. I think those kinds of things really need to be taken into account because, this is my honest assessment, it gets too much.” Virat Kohli not amused with IPL’s robodog ‘Champak’ The IPL has had many innovations over the years and one of them has been the robotic dog ‘Champak’. The robotic camera dog has been present at tosses and many players have often been seen having fun interactions with it. But Kohli is clearly not a fan. “I was talking to Kane the other day. Then, there is that robot thing, doing (showing the robot’s hand gesture). I am like ‘why is this guy doing this?’. I was talking to Kane about something that was serious. He is a friend of mine. I looked at him and ignored him (Champak) and I told the guy [operating it], ‘please take him away’,” he said. Virat Kohli lost for words while recalling RCB’s title win A year ago, history was scripted in the IPL when RCB won their maiden IPL title. In a thrilling final at the Narendra Modi Stadium, the Rajat Patidar-led side overcame the Punjab Kings by just six runs. Kohli, who has been with the franchise since the very first IPL edition, went down on his knees and shed a tear as the one trophy that eluded him was finally in his cabinet. Looking back at the final moments of that match with Josh Hazlewood bowling the final over, Kohli shared, “I felt very thankful, and I feel grateful every day of my life, to be honest. I have nothing to complain about. But that night, especially, and I still say it’s very difficult to explain to people in words how I felt in the last four balls of the last over,” he said. Kohli also reflected on his stint with the RCB over the years. The star batter is the only player to have played for a single franchise in all the IPL editions. “I started my journey with RCB very young, as everyone knows. Then I was retained at a very important juncture in my career, to be fair, with the conversation back and forth. RCB agreed to the perspective I had for my own career, for my own game, because I was also playing for India. They showed trust in me. I was the only retained player in 2011. And they kind of built the team around,” he said.