Virat Kohli trolled as 'hypocrite' for Diwali message; RCB clarifies

A screengrab from the video on Virat Kohli's official Twitter handle

Virat Kohli, captain of the Indian cricket team had recently taken to Twitter to post a message on Diwali wishing his fans for the festive season. In his video message on Twitter, Virat Kohli said, " A very happy Diwali from me to you and your families. May God bless you with peace, prosperity and happiness, this Diwali. Please remember, do not burst crackers, protect the environment and have fun at home with your loved ones with a simple diya and sweets on this auspicious occasion. God bless you all, take care."

However, this message did not go down too well with Kohli's fans on Twitter who ended up trolling the star batsman. A video surfaced online too, as part of a tweet which read, "Why do they always have an issue with Hindu festivals whether it's Diwali or Holi." The video showed how Royal Challengers Bangalore - the team that Virat Kohli captains in the IPL, gave their skipper a huge surprise on his birthday, earlier this month on 5th. The video showed how crackers were burst in Dubai to celebrate Kohli's birthday. Kohli's wife Anushka Sharma was also present for his birthday in UAE. Fans termed Kohli a 'hypocrite' and told him to practice what he preaches.

Meanwhile, there were many comments by Twitterati that trolled Kohli as well. One comment read, "Sir first of all stop using private vehicles n start using public transport...that should reduce most of pollution..n stop bursting crackers at IPL." Another user wrote, "Do not burst crackers?? Have you not seen crackers during ipl final?? Christmas or new year?? At that time you will keep silent, but you will give your selective gyaan during Hindu festivals." Another user posted, "Its negligible compared to what a billion ppl all across the country burn in a single night." Another twitter pointed out, "Happy Diwali, I hope Hindutva Radicals will not troll you for suggesting crackers free Diwali."

Kohli's IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore went on to post a message on Twitter and while wishing their fans, also clarified that the crackers in that video were actually celebrations during UAE's flag day. RCB wrote, "Hope you are all enjoying a happy and peaceful Diwali with family and friends. To clarify, the fireworks shown in RCB's recent celebratory video was archival footage of UAE's Flag Day celebrations. RCB continues to work hard to protect the environment like we've over the years."

Virat Kohli led Royal Challengers Bangalore at IPL 2020 where the team lost to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL playoffs. Kohli will now be leading Team India on their tour to Australia which will begin with the ODI series on November 27.

Also Read: Tim Paine: Australians love to hate "polarising" Virat Kohli

Virat will also miss the first Test in January as he will be coming back to India to be by his wife Anushka Sharma's side as she is due to give birth to their first child.

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