Virat Kohli Birthday: 5 controversies of Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli is fast emerging as one of the greatest cricketers of all time. The Indian skipper is taking his game to new heights with each match, playing a pivotal role in transforming India into a dominant cricketing team.

Despite all of his gifts as a batsman, Virat, who is famous for his aggressive demeanour and fiery character, has lost his cool on many occasions, drawing the ire of the cynics. It is unfortunate that a man with such charisma and talent has made the news for all the wrong reasons on so many instances. But, given the champion that he is, it is just a matter of time before he gets his balance right and evolves into not only a great batsman, but a great character.

On that note, here are five of Virat Kohli's most controversial moments:

#5 Inviting Anushka Sharma to the pavilion

The adorable couple have given us relationship goals with the manner in which they have conducted themselves thus far. The couple have often come out in public in support of each other, leaving us gasping for breath. In fact, Anushka Sharma has been seen many times in the stands, cheering on the Indian skipper.

Virat, however, breached the BCCI's code of conduct during IPL 2015 when he invited his girlfriend to the pavilion. This was against the rules set by the board which clearly stated that no one except the players and the officials sporting BCCI/ICC cards is allowed into the pavilion.

The incident took place during a washed-out game between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Daredevils. Even though Kohli did not face any backlash for this act, he was handed a warning by the board for violating the rule.

#4 Abusing a journalist

Kohli is known for his fiery demeanour

Virat Kohli, who is extremely passionate about everything that he does, is, understandably, quite protective of his lady. It is a known fact that many fans target Anushka Sharma whenever Kohli fails to meet their lofty "expectations". One such instance arose when the fans inappropriately lashed out at the Bollywood actress following Kohli's failure in the semi-final of the ICC World Cup in 2015. The Delhi lad was irked by this behaviour and took to social media to slam their immature comments.

On another occasion in 2015, Kohli bashed a journalist for writing an article on Anushka. Later, it was learned that Kohli had targeted the wrong person and the Indian skipper ended up apologising to the journalist for his actions.

#3 Altercation with Gautam Gambhir

Gambhir and Kohli were involved in a heated argument during a game in IPL 6

Gambhir and Kohli are known to be fiery characters. Be it with Virender Sehwag, Shikhar Dhawan, or even Ishant Sharma, these guys don't back away when it comes to a war of words. The two Delhi batsmen got involved in an ugly altercation during a match between KKR and RCB in the sixth edition of the IPL.

Kohli, who was returning to the dugout after being dismissed, wasn't happy with the send-off he got from the KKR skipper, Gambhir. Not impressed with the proceedings, Virat retaliated by speaking his mind when the two skippers charged towards each other to take part in what would have been an awful on-field scuffle.

The players and the umpires had to intervene to get the situation under control and ensure the matter didn't escalate.

#2 The "Hand-Gesture"

Kohli showing the finger to the crowd at Sydney Cricket Ground

We all know how intimidating spectators in a game of cricket can turn out to be. Many a time, the players, especially the ones fielding near the boundary line, face the wrath of the crowd watching the game. The situation is worse for players from the visiting team as supporters of the home team try to get on the nerves of the opposition players in order to distract them.

Virat Kohli too had to face such an experience early in his career, during India's tour to Australia back in 2011. The incident occurred when Virat was fielding near the boundary line during the second Test between India and Australia at Sydney. The spectators who were seated right behind Kohli kept hurling comments at him. Kohli, who was quite a fervid character back then, responded by making an offensive gesture. He was fined 50% of his match fee for showing dissent and acting in an unprofessional manner.

#1 Rift with Anil Kumble

All was not well between the skipper and the former coach of the Indian team

The one incident that scarred Indian cricket this year was the rift between Virat Kohli and former coach Anil Kumble. Kumble, who took the responsibility of coaching the Indian team in 2016, delivered favourable results and was in line for getting his contract extended after the completion of his initial one year term.

Things, however, took an ugly turn after this year's ICC Champions Trophy with Kumble eventually stepping down from the post. Reports of a clash between Kohli and Kumble did the rounds, leading to Kohli receiving criticism for the manner in which he handled the entire situation. In fact, many fans and former players expressed their disappointment at the way in which an Indian cricketing legend such as Kumble was treated over this whole issue.