Touring Australia is never just about facing a quality cricket team—it also means dealing with the Australian media, often regarded as an invisible 12th man. During the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy, the media has already stirred controversy. The situation escalated following an incident between Virat Kohli and a Channel 7 reporter at Melbourne Airport on Thursday, December 19. However, things took a sharper turn during Ravindra Jadeja’s press conference on Saturday.
Channel 7’s Claims vs Reality
Claim 1: Channel 7 reported that Jadeja “refused” to answer questions in English, leaving Australian journalists confused and bemused after being “invited” to the conference.
Reality: Jadeja did not refuse to speak in English. Instead, he answered questions in Hindi because the Indian reporters present asked them in that language. No English questions were posed to him.
Claim 2: The conference ended abruptly when Jadeja allegedly said he had to catch the team bus.
Reality: Jadeja made no such statement about leaving for the bus.
Claim 3: The conference was described as being for “travelling Indian media only,” despite Australian journalists being invited.
Reality: The press meet was primarily meant for Indian media, as communicated through their WhatsApp group. Cricket Australia had informed the Australian journalists about this arrangement.
Also Read- Top 7 Interesting Facts About Ravindra Jadeja
Misconduct by Australian Media
Adding to the tension, some Australian reporters behaved aggressively towards India’s media manager. They instructed their cameramen to keep filming the argument, displaying hostility.
Privacy Invasion of Virat Kohli
This incident followed Channel 7’s earlier intrusion into Virat Kohli’s privacy, filming him with his children at Melbourne Airport without consent. Reports suggesting Kohli had a heated exchange with a female reporter were also exaggerated. Witnesses clarified that Kohli remained calm, politely requested privacy, and even shook hands with the cameraman after assurances that the footage wouldn’t be used without permission.
Building Tensions Off the Field
With the Border-Gavaskar Trophy tied at 1-1 and the Boxing Day Test approaching, the tensions between the teams are now mirrored by confrontations off the field.