Virender Sehwag Slams English Media For Ball Tampering Allegations On Virat Kohli
Nov 24, 2016 at 12:38 AM
Former Indian batsman Virender Sehwag has blasted English media for accusing Virat Kohli of ball tampering.
English news outlet The Daily Mail accused the Indian Test captain of shining the ball by applying saliva and residue from a sweet during the first Test at Rajkot.
The tabloid reported:“Footage has emerged of India captain Virat Kohli appearing to shine the ball using residue from a sweet during his country’s draw with England in the first Test.”
“Television cameras caught Kohli, who finished on 49 not out on the final day in Rajkot, putting his right hand towards his mouth,” it added.
“The 28-year-old can be seen rubbing his fingers in his mouth, inside of which is a sweet. He then appears to shine one side of the ball.”
However, the claims have not gone too well with Sehwag as he has accused the English media of being sore losers.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, Sehwag said:“The team that ends on the losing side often tries to raise a few issues.
“Perhaps the England team hasn’t gone on to do it (raise the issue) but the English media has. I feel one should accept defeats in a graceful manner… We never gave excuses when we lost matches abroad. We used to accept that we didn’t play well when we lost a game,” he added.
The retired cricketer also said South African player Faf du Plessis should not be much bothered about the ball tampering accusations. The Proteas star was fined by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after a footage showed him using a mint in his mouth to shine the ball during the second Test against Australia at Hobart.
“Faf shouldn’t be bothered about this as he did nothing wrong. You’re allowed to have toffees, lollies, etc. and you’re also allowed to apply saliva to shine the ball.
So I really don’t know what’s wrong with that. It’s not like someone is applying something else other than saliva,” Sehwag concluded.